Georgia's Oliver, Maryland's Gaither chosen in supplemental draft
John Clayton
The San Diego Chargers selected Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver in the fourth round of Thursday's supplemental draft, one of two players selected from a pool of 11 available.
In doing so, the Chargers will give up a fourth-round choice in next year's draft. Oliver, who left Georgia early because of grade problems, was expected to be one of the top corners in the 2008 draft.
His recent 40 time in the high 4.5s may have scared away a couple teams, but the Chargers were looking for depth at the cornerback position. Starting cornerback Drayton Florence is a free agent after this season. Oliver would have the chance to learn cornerback and maybe help in the nickel pass defense over the next couple years.
The Chargers liked the player skills. They recently did a background check and liked what they learned.
The Baltimore Ravens selected Maryland tackle Jared Gaither in the fifth round of the supplemental draft.
The Ravens worked him out right before the draft. They liked his size and speed. He's close to 6-feet-9 and 325 pounds. He ran well at a workout Tuesday, timing around five seconds.
"Jared has a chance to play in this league, even at a high level," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. "It would have been interesting to see how high he would have gone in the draft had he played one or two more seasons at Maryland."
Meanwhile, Mark Washington, a versatile defensive end/linebacker from Texas State, agreed to a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers after being bypassed in the supplemental draft.
Washington ran in the 4.6-second range in the 40-yard dash during workouts in front of NFL teams, but he was a little slower Tuesday when he worked out.
Because Washington weighed in the 250-pound range, teams had to decide if they wanted him at defensive end or linebacker. The 49ers wanted him at linebacker and believe he has the ability and size to challenge for a position as a strongside outside linebacker.
