Seeking competition, Chargers CB Asante Samuel Jr. is rising to the challenge

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

For most rookies, they’re looking to adapt to the NFL with whatever is thrown their way. But for cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., he is getting his feet wet by willingly going up against one of the league’s best wide receivers.

At this past Friday’s practice, CB Chris Harris Jr. and Allen were lined up for a rep and that’s when Samuel approached Harris and asked to take it.

Harris allowed him to and Samuel won the rep. It happened later during the period, but the advantage went to Allen on that given rep.

This just goes to show how much of a competitor the team’s second round pick is. Even though his measurements don’t match up to other corners in this league, he plays much bigger for his size.

“I’m the same size as Jaire Alexander (Packers). Size doesn’t matter. It’s about the heart and dog mentality on the field,” Samuel said during the pre-draft process.

Head coach Brandon Staley has been impressed with Samuel and the intangibles and the ability to line up against guys like Mike Williams and Allen to boost his confidence in his play.

It was a quiet first week of camp for Samuel, but he has since then shown on the practice field why the Chargers selected him, establishing himself as one of the team’s top corners.

Working both near the boundary and in the slot, Samuel has stayed on the hip of the pass-catchers he’s faced and has made a handful of plays on the ball.

“There’s not much to build. I just have to go out there, make plays and show everybody else that I can make plays. I already know that I can do that. I just have to show everybody else,” Samuel said.