The San Diego Chargers need to find an impact player on the defensive side of the ball in this year's draft. One of the positions that the Chargers are looking to improve this offseason is the outside linebacker position across from Shaun Phillips.

The Chargers dropped LB Shawne Merriman in the middle of the season and had to fill his starting role with Antwan Applewhite. LB Larry English was drafted a couple of season's ago to take over the position, but he has struggled to stay on the field with health issues.

Here is a list of players that the Chargers could look to draft in the first round of the draft:

Aldon Smith - Missouri
Height: 6-4 Weight: 258 40-Time: 4.69
Smith is tall, strong, and athletic. He reminds me a lot of SP95 and gets after the quarterback. He played defensive end in college, but should transition easily into an outside linebacker in our 3-4 defense.

Von Miller - Texas A&M
Height: 6-2 Weight: 243 40-Time: 4.56
Miller is explosive off the line of scrimmage and specialized in getting after the quarterback in college. His primary objective in college was to chase the quarterback. He will have to transition in the NFL to learn how to stop the run and defend the pass.

Akeem Ayers - UCLA
Height: 6-4 Weight: 255 40-Time: 4.68
Ayers is a very versatile linebacker that can also play middle linebacker also. He is big and strong and athletic.

For Chargers news on Twitter, follow @Chargers_Live.

For more on the San Diego Chargers, check out FanSided's Bolt Beat blog.

-- ERNIE PADAON
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com