He participated in Friday's first session of the Chargers' mini-camp, when the offense ran plays with no opposition. He will sit out any competitive drills, however, to avoid the risk that someone might fall on him and create a setback.

"It feels pretty good," Rivers said. "It's been a good rehab, a good couple of months. I've made a lot of progress. It's still a little sore, and it's got a ways to go until it's fully ready, but we have a couple months left so I'm in good shape.

"It was fast, fast-paced," said Hester, the team's third-round draft choice from LSU. "You don't have a lot of chance to grasp it and learn it. You've got to learn on the run. Luckily, the verterans kind of helped me out there.

"It's different. Everybody always says it's a step up in tempo and speed, and they're right. Even playing in the best league in college didn't compare to this, because this is the best of the best. It's definitely a high tempo and something you've got to get used to."

LT is impressed already.

"I watched him a bunch in college, so I'm pretty familiar with what he's able to do on the football field," Tomlinson said. "It seems like he's a guy who really wants to learn what's going on, and I think he's going to help us in a lot of different ways."

Here's a look at what the Chargers got when A.J. Smith traded up to grab Hester:

The Chargers made a move to bolster their offensive line Tuesday as they agreed to terms with tackle L.J. Shelton on a two-year deal.

"We had the opportunity to add an experienced, good player to the mix at offensive tackle," General Manager A.J. Smith said. "L.J. has played both left and right tackle during his career. We were thin at the position and we were determined to find a talented player. We believe we've addressed the need with L.J. Shelton."

Shelton, 6-6, 345, who enters his 10th NFL season in 2008, brings a wealth of experience and versatility to San Diego. He's played in 130 games and started 125 during his career. In 2007 with the Miami Dolphins, he started all 16 games at right tackle. A year earlier, he started five games at left tackle before moving inside to right guard for the final 11 games.

Prior to joining the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent in 2006, Shelton spent the 2005 season with the Cleveland Browns. He started all 16 games at left tackle that year. Shelton spent the first six seasons of his career in Arizona, where he was the club's starting left tackle for five of them. Shelton, an All-Mac performer at Eastern Michigan, was selected by the Cardinals in the first round (21st overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft.

Here's the complete list of rookie free agents expected to participate in this weekend's mini camp:

Five picks later, the Chargers moved up from 160 to the Patriots' spot at 69 to take LSU running back Jacob Hester. The Chargers gave up their second-round choice in the 2009 draft and their pick at 160 to take Hester, a hard-nosed hybrid running back. Is he a fullback? Is he a halfback? Is he an H-back? Is he a special teams player? What he'll say is he's simply a football player. And that versatility will give him an opportunity to get on the field immediately for the Bolts. Is landing Hester worth next year's No. 2? Is he the player fans had hoped the team would bring in to replace the departed Michael Turner and provide insurance for LT? Probably not.

Check out his NFL.com bio. ...

The Raiders don't pick until 104 ... The Browns won't make their first pick until 122.

Cason will immediately battle for playing time at nickel replacing Drayton Florence, who left via free agency. He also can return punts.

Cason is 6 foot, 1/4 inch and 187 pounds. He clocked 4.46 in the 40-yard dash.

Check out his NFL Network bio.

(* Sunday night games indicated are subject to change)

That's right, the Raiders vs. the Broncos. That Javon Walker subplot is sure to attract American Idolesque ratings. RIGHT.

To make it up to the dissed and rightfully miffed Bolts, the good folks at the core of the sports world in Bristol, Connecticut have graciously picked the Chargers to play on Monday Night Football -- in an August EXHIBITION against Seattle.

Reschedule those vacation plans to the river, Mable, the Chargers have a practice game on Monday Night Football.

Fun and games aside, here's the practice game schedule for (cue deep-voiced announcer) YOUR TWO-TIME AFC WEST DIVISION CHAMPION CHARGERS:

Week 1: August 9 vs. Dallas
Week 2: August TBA at St. Louis
Week 3: August 25 vs. Seattle (ESPN)
Week 4: August 29 at San Francisco

Here's an edited version of that release:

A total of 32 compensatory choices in the 2008 NFL Draft has been awarded to 15 teams. The Chargers received a fifth-round choice and now have five picks in April 26-27 draft: first round (27th overall), fifth round (160th and 166th) and one each in the sixth (192nd) and seventh (234th) rounds.

Under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks.

The number of picks a team receives equals the net loss of compensatory free agents up to a maximum of four. The 32 compensatory choices announced today will supplement the 220 choices in the seven rounds of the draft. (The 252 total is the lowest since 2001 when there were 246 choices. There were 255 picks in each of the last four drafts.)

This year, the compensatory picks will be positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula.

One club this year (St. Louis) will receive a compensatory pick even though it did not suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents. Under the formula, the compensatory free agents St. Louis lost were ranked higher than the ones it signed (by a specified point differential based upon salary and performance).

Here's a breakdown of the comp picks listing round, selection number of that round, overall selection number and team:

3......33........96......Washington
3......34........97......Cincinnati
3......35........98......Atlanta
3......36........99......Baltimore
4......33......131......Philadelphia
4......34......132......Buffalo
4......35......133......Baltimore
4......36......134......Tennessee
4......37......135......Green Bay
5......33......166......San Diego
6......33......199......New York Giants
6......34......200......Philadelphia
6......35......201......Indianapolis
6......36......202......Indianapolis
6......37......203......Philadelphia
6......38......204......Miami
6......39......205......Indianapolis
6......40......206......Baltimore
6......41......207......Cincinnati
7......33......240......Baltimore
7......34......241......Carolina
7......35......242......Washington
7......36......243......Chicago
7......37......244......Cincinnati
7......38......245......Miami
7......39......246......Cincinnati
7......40......247......Chicago
7......41......248......Chicago
7......42......249......Washington
7......43......250......Carolina
7......44......251......Buffalo
7......45......252......St. Louis

--Jeffrey Parenti
--jparenti@pe.com

The Raiders will select fourth and the Kansas City Chiefs will pick fifth.

All three teams finished at 4-12 and their opponents had an identical record, the first tiebreaker.

There will be 31 picks in the first round, with New England losing its choice, taken away as part of the penalty for its illegal taping of opponents’ signals.

Here's the complete first-round order:

Actually, we had chowder: Patriots (New England clam), Giants (Manhattan clam) and Undecided (chicken/corn for those who didn’t like the swimmers). ...

Marie Callender's said they stopped making Boston Cream pie, so we settled for Banana Cream and a Chocolate Mousse cake (from Trader Joe’s) that was simply to die for. ...

With that as the foundation of the spread you’d think I would have come away with a better taste in my mouth after the Big Game. And if you like defense and hate the Patriots and love a dramatic finish and think it’s OK if the best officials in the game – supposedly – miss a few calls that 97.5 million of the rest of us saw than you are clearly among the majority who walked away gushing about it being one of best NFL championship games ever.

Not me. Sorry. Yes, even 11 days later, there remains a sour taste in my mouth about that one. ...