SAN DIEGO – As we begin our preview of the inside linebackers available in the 2012 NFL Draft, here’s a look at players the Chargers have drafted at the position.
Player: 
Drafted: 2010, third round (79th overall)
School: Washington
Career with Chargers: Butler missed his entire rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon after a promising offseason. He asserted himself again in training camp last year despite a lockout-truncated offseason, won a starting job next to
Player: Junior Seau
Drafted: 1990, first round (5th overall)
School: USC
Career with Chargers: One of if not the most recognizable Charger of all-time, Seau’s legendary career included a franchise-record 12 Pro Bowls (1991-2002). He received All-Pro honors in half those seasons, including ’94, San Diego’s only AFC Championship team. Seau played 200 games in 13 seasons for the Chargers, making more than 1,800 tackles, 47 sacks, 15 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries. Seau was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame last season.
Player: Billy Ray Smith
Drafted: 1983, first round (5th overall)
School: Arkansas
Career with Chargers: The Arkansas product made more than 730 tackles during his 10-year career, all with the Chargers. Smith made 11 sacks in ’86 and five interceptions in ’87, but was mostly a sound tackler who topped 100 stops in each of his first four NFL seasons. Smith started 111 of his 126 NFL games and also is a member of the Chargers’ 50th-Anniversary All-Time Team.
Player: Woodrow Lowe
Drafted: 1976, fifth round (131st overall)
School: Alabama
Career with Chargers: One of San Diego’s all-time draft steals, the Chargers selected the undersized Lowe and were immediately praised by legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant (“San Diego’s getting Lowe in the fifth round is like getting a 10-dollar gold piece for 10 cents”). Listed at 6-foot, 211 pounds, Lowe’s size offset a decorated four-year career at the University of Alabama and allowed San Diego to get him well into the draft. Lowe missed just one game during an 11-year career with the Chargers and retired with 164 games played, the most by a San Diego defensive player at the time. He remains sixth all-time in games played. Lowe finished his career with 973 tackles, 21.5 sacks and 21 interceptions and reached the 100-tackle mark three times.
Player: Frank Buncom
Drafted: 1962, sixth round (48th overall)
School: USC
Career with Chargers: The three-time AFL All-Star also played on the 1963 AFL Championship team. A member of the Chargers Hall of Fame, Buncom signed with Cincinnati in 1968 and tragically died in his sleep the night before the Bengals’ 1969 season-opener. Buncom made four interceptions as a rookie and earned a reputation as a strong tackler in the middle of San Diego’s defense, where he did not miss a single regular-season or playoff game in six seasons.
| OTHER DRAFTED INSIDE LINEBACKERS | |||
| Year | Player | Round Drafted | School |
| 2011 | | 2nd (61 overall) | Michigan |
| 7th (234) | Missouri | |
| 2007 | Brandon Siler | 7th (240) | Florida |
| 2006 | Tim Dobbins | 5th (151) | Iowa State |
| 2003 | Matt Wilhelm | 4th (112) | Ohio State |
| 2002 | Ben Leber | 3rd (71) | Kansas State |
| 2001 | Carlos Polk | 4th (112) | Nebraska |
| Zeke Moreno | 5th (139) | USC | |
| 2000 | Shannon Taylor | 6th (184) | Virginia |
| 1997 | Toran James | 7th (218) | North Carolina AT&T |
| 1995 | Preston Harrison | 3rd (98) | Ohio State |
| Chris Cowart | 4th (100) | Florida State | |
| 1994 | Zane Beehn | 7th (207) | Kentucky |
| 1992 | Kevin Little | 5th (131) | North Carolina AT&T |
| 1991 | Andy Katoa | 9th (230) | Oregon State |
| 1989 | Ricky Andrews | 10th (260) | Washington |
| 1988 | Cedric Figaro | 6th (152) | Notre Dame |
| 1986 | Tommy Taylor | 4th (97) | UCLA |
| 1984 | Mike Guendling | 2nd (33) | Northwestern |
| 1983 | Mike Green | 9th (245) | Oklahoma State |
| 1981 | Carlos Bradley | 11th (300) | Wake Forest |
| 1980 | Wayne Hamilton | 6th (163) | Alabama |
| 1978 | Blake Whitlatch | 9th (248) | LSU |
| 1977 | Curtis Townsend | 10th (265) | Arkansas |
| 1976 | Bob Horn | 4th (94) | Oregon State |
| Ray Preston | 11th (295) | Syracuse | |
| Clarence Sanders | 17th (463) | Cincinnati | |
| 1975 | Ken Bernich | 4th (101) | Auburn |
| Larry Keller | 9th (214) | Houston | |
| Jerry Dahl | 12th (292) | North Dakota State | |
| 1974 | Don Goode | 1st (15) | Kansas |
| John Ketchoyian | 10th (237) | Santa Clara | |
| Charles Anthony | 15th (366) | USC | |
| 1973 | John Knoble | 5th (125) | Weber State |
| Tab Bennett | 9th (214) | Illinois | |
| 1972 | Lon Kolstad | 10th (246) | Whitewater (Wisc.) |
| Andy Selfridge | 13th (321) | Virginia | |
| 1971 | Ray White | 5th (117) | Syracuse |
| Eric Humston | 15th (377) | Muskingum (Ohio) | |
| 1970 | Jack Protz | 11th (275) | Syracuse |
| 1969 | Bob Babich | 1st (15) | Miami (Ohio) |
| 1968 | Jeff Queen | 12th (317) | Morgan State |
| 1967 | Ron McCall | 2nd (40) | Weber State |
| Bernard Erickson | 5th (121) | Abilene Christian | |
| 1966 | Jeff Staggs | 3rd (26) | San Diego State |
| Doug Buffone | 8th (72) | Louisville | |
| Danny Pride | 10th (90) | Tennessee State | |
| Bill McDownell | 20th (180) | Florida State | |
| 1965 | Doug Woodlief | 4th (30) | Memphis State |
| Rick Redman | 5th (38) | Washington | |
| Tom Good | 6th (46) | Marshall | |
| Mike Cicollella | 12th (94) | Dayton | |
| Bill Quigley | 13th (102) | Villanova | |
| John Godden | 16th (126) | San Diego State | |
| 1964 | John Kirby | 2nd (16) | Nebraska |
| 1963 | Pat Emerick | 6th (42) | Western Michigan |
| Buddy Soefker | 20th (154) | LSU | |
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