"As the recent NFL draft meandered deep into its third day, University of Miami tight end Dedrick Epps couldn't watch anymore. Disappointed his name hadn't been called, watching other tight ends he deemed inferior go before him, Epps turned off the TV. Then his phone started chirping. Teams weighed his interest in signing as a free agent. Then came the best call of all. The Chargers were on the line. They were selecting Epps with their final pick, the 235th of 255 possible selections overall. "I can't wait to get out there," said Epps, who will participate in the team's rookie orientation Friday and Saturday. "All this time I've been watching Antonio Gates on TV. To actually go out there and learn the game from him, it's unreal." Here's something that is real: the odds of Epps enjoying a lengthy career with the club are long. In the Chargers' previous 49 drafts, only 10 players selected in the final round lasted more than one season. Just as it's not good to be the last player selected in a pickup basketball game, it's not good for the ego, or paycheck, to be drafted in the last round. There have been exceptions for the Chargers, most notably in the 1960s. Center Sam Gruneisen was selected in the 25th round of the 1962 American Football League draft and embarked on a 12-year career, 11 with the Chargers." http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/05/beating-the-odds/
