The draft starts in Mobile.
For the 32 NFL teams in attendance, the Senior Bowl is a chance to see some of college football’s top players square off in a week of practices and a full game to wrap things up in order to prove to them that they can prepare, practice and compete like pros.
Within all of the action on the football field, this is team’s first opportunity to sit down and get to know the prospects after watching them for years at their perspective school and talking to their coaches to gain more information on them.
However, this year’s Senior Bowl was even more vital to team’s evaluation process than previous ones because of the limited exposure to players during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a handful of cancelled games and opt outs.
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco already had a track record of drafting players that partook in the event. But him and the evaluators really took advantage of this one in particular, as the team went on to select five players that they had the chance to watch and meet with.
Wide receiver Josh Palmer, tight end Tre’ McKitty, offensive tackle Brenden Jaimes, running back Larry Rountree III and safety Mark Webb all participated in the 2021 Senior Bowl.
That marks 21 Senior Bowl participants that Los Angeles has either signed or drafted since 2017.
The other 16?
G Dan Feeney, Indiana – 2017
S Rayshawn Jenkins, Miami – 2017
DB Desmond King, Iowa – 2017
DE Isaac Rochell, Notre Dame – 2017
LS Cole Mazza, Alabama – 2017
DT Justin Jones, NC State – 2018
K Michael Badgley, Miami – 2018
LB Uchenna Nwosu, USC – 2018
C Scott Quessenberry, UCLA – 2018
LB Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame – 2019
S Nasir Adderley, Delaware – 2019
QB Justin Herbert, Oregon — 2020
RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA — 2020
S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame — 2020
WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State — 2020
Telesco stuck to his guns this year, bringing in good football players that are also good people, tough, competitive and fit the culture of what he wants them to be both on and off the field.