More info on Weddle:
In an interview with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio's The Herd with Colin Cowherd, former Titans GM Floyd Reese was asked about this pick and how much the Chargers had given up to get him and intimated to Colin that he believes Weddle to be the best athlete of the 2007 Draft.
In an interview with Chargers.com after the draft, Buddy Nix and new head coach Norv Turner were asked about their opinion of Weddle. When asked what he liked about him most, Nix responded, "I think his versatility is one thing. Our defense, instead of having to substitute and guess when you start getting full of wide-outs and that kind of thing, this guy can walk up and play the slot man which is hard to do without having to substitute, like on third down when we would play nickel or dime. But if they throw it out there at you and don't have somebody that can go down and play on the slot, then it causes you problems."
Turner also had this to say about Weddle: "First of all Eric is a guy makes a strong impression on you right away. He's a confident guy. He's an outgoing guy. I think the fact that this guy can line-up and play safety, play on the slot and he's played outside and corner at Utah. They showed one of the clips and we caught some of it but they showed one of him lined-up at quarterback on third down and taking a shotgun snap and running with the ball. He's a highly intelligent player and he has a knack. Some guys have it and some guys don't. There were a couple plays that we were looking at and Ted Cottrell (defensive coordinator) called me in one day and said 'look at this play' and he tackles the guy from behind, spins him and when they both bounce off the ground Eric has the ball in his hand and he never touches the ground, he picks it up and runs it in for a touchdown. As Buddy said, he had four returns for touchdowns. He's a guy that finds a way to make plays. He gives us versatility in the secondary, and obviously gives us a guy that will be a playmaker on special teams. Our defensive coaches were really excited when we walked down the hall and said we're going to get this player." He really is a soon to be Brian Dawkins or Ed Reed[4]