In need of shoring up the interior part of the defensive line, Chargers general manager took former Notre Dame product Jerry Tillery with the team’s first-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft.
The pick had many fans ecstatic when his name was announced and the hype continued to build up entering this season after a phenomenal summer. But since then, Tillery hasn’t been as hot, thus having those wondering what’s going on with the No. 28 overall selection.
Let’s start off with his stat line through 11 games of his rookie campaign.
11 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks
Tillery’s usage is floating slightly above 40% of the defensive snaps, so he’s certainly up there with other notable players at the position — Damion Square (46.8%), Justin Jones (42.8%), Brandon Mebane (37.4%).
Los Angeles drafted Tillery to serve as a key interior pass rusher, so that way he could take some of the pressure off defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. So, why doesn’t his stat sheet suggest that?
The first thing is that the Chargers have primarily played Tillery on first and second down and have resorted to taking him off the field during obvious passing downs. Instead, defensive end Isaac Rochell has been used in that role.
On the field, there has there have been evident growing pains, but Tillery has shown flashes that may go unnoticed. Coming out of college, he beat defenders with speed, strength and pure athleticism.
We see that here as Tillery creates immediate movement with his initial surge and forward lean into the blocker. With him being so lengthy, his pad level has been an issue. But we see when he stays low, he will win the battle.
Tillery has seen a hefty amount of double teams, and one issue that he had since coming out of college is struggling when blockers get to his hip which has still been clear. A part of that has to do with him tending to play high, but also the lack of countering.
But he does a nice job controlling the point of attack when square with blockers, and we have seen glimpses of solid countering when he is locked up with a blocker.
Here, Tillery goes with an arm over on the guard and spins off the center to create pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Here, Tillery gets locked up with the guard at first, but he throws a club and dips to disengage and shows great effort to pressure quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Speaking of effort, that also shows in the run game, too. Tillery works down the line of scrimmage and stops running back Derrick Henry in his tracks for a little gain.
Here, he generates good power on this play and he displays great balance, body control and a strong rip move to slither his way through his blocker.
Many think that Tillery is underperforming for a first round selection, but the truth is, even though he’s not as superior statistically, the other defensive tackles that were taken before him aren’t that spectacular in Year 1, either.
New York Jets DT Quinnen Williams (No. 3 overall)
20 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss
Buffalo Bills DT Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall)
23 combined tackles 2.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss
Miami Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins (No. 13 overall)
36 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 tackles for loss
New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence (No. 17 overall)
26 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss
The bottom line is that while it would have been nice for Tillery to play like his draft slot immediately, but there’s no reason to label him as a first-year ‘bust’. He hasn’t been primarily played in the role the Chargers drafted him for as a pass-rusher and there are signs of technical deficiencies that could easily be fixed.
I expect Tillery to continue to blossom into a key part of the defensive line by Year 2 or 3, where he’s racking up four or more sacks per season. The offseason will be essential to his growth. And keep in mind, Tillery will have a fresh slate as he spent a good chunk of this past offseason rehabbing his torn labrum.
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