Tag: Brenden Jaimes

Sleepers to watch at each position on offense in Chargers training camp

Identifying some under-the-radar offensive players who could generate some buzz at Chargers training camp.

Each year, there are a few players for the Chargers who fly under the radar who come to the forefront in training camp.

With that being said, let’s a look at some sleepers at each position on the offensive side of the ball you may want to keep an eye out on this summer.

QB: Easton Stick

With only three players at the position, Justin Herbert being the starter and Chase Daniel and Stick being behind him, there isn’t a clear-cut sleeper. It’s likely that Daniel will win the backup role since he’s well-versed with Joe Lombardi’s offense and he offers mentorship to Herbert, but Stick is still going to be competitive to remain on the roster. However, maybe, just maybe, Stick is used in the same gadget role as Saints’ Taysom Hill. It would certainly be cool to see if the coaches have plays designed for him in that capacity, taking advantage of his athleticism.

RB: Larry Rountree III

There’s Austin Ekeler at the top of the depth and the spots behind him remain to be seen. Rountree, the team’s sixth-round pick, was drafted with the intentions of him serving as a special teamer, but he is more than capable of carving up a role in the backfield early on. Rountree is the type of back to drop his pad level, run through contact and be able to run between the tackles and push the ball to the edge as well as offer the ability to impact the passing game due to his catching and blocking skills.

WR: Austin Proehl

The battle for WR3 behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams will steal the spotlight, but there should be a final spot to be earned between a few wideouts, including Proehl. The Chargers mark Proehl’s fifth team since entering the league in 2018, but he has yet to make a 53-man roster. But with but with his surprising speed, ability to get open in all three areas of the field competitiveness and special teams upside, Proehl could be the guy Los Angeles benefits from having on the squad.

TE: Tre’ McKitty

Jared Cook and Donald Parham sit atop of the depth chart, but McKitty was drafted in the third-round for a reason. He may be relegated to in-line blocker role, but I’m banking on him raising some eyebrows with his receiving skills. McKitty has the athleticism, ability to separate at the top of routes, a solid frame to stack defenders and great hands to reel in the football.

OT: Storm Norton

The starters are in place with Rashawn Slater and Bryan Bulaga, but there will be a battle for the swing role. Norton, who was signed last offseason, played well in his three starts in 2020. He offers the athleticism and movement skills to provide insurance if an injury occurred. One thing I’m looking for this summer is if he got stronger and dials it up with his leverage, given the fact that he’s towering at 6-foot-8 and has a thinner frame.

IOL: Brenden Jaimes

To this day, I believe that Jaimes, the team’s fifth-round selection, may go down as one of the steals of the draft. While lack of physical traits likely force him to kick inside to guard, Jaimes has the lower-body athleticism, efficient hand usage and high football IQ to be able to keep pass rushers at bay and generate movement in the run game in this league. Oday Aboushi will likely lock up the starting right guard job, but Jaimes should push him for it in camp.

Projecting the Chargers’ offensive line depth chart in 2021

The Los Angeles Chargers have a solid starting five up front. But what about the depth?

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be breaking down the depth chart at each position for the Chargers.

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Next up, I project what the offensive line room will look like heading into the 2021 season.

LT: Rashawn Slater

Many, including myself, did not expect Slater to see a slide to where the Chargers were selecting at No. 13. After he did, it was a no-brainer for the team who needed a franchise left tackle. While there are some who still believe he will be a better guard in this league due to his lack of height and arm length, given how he fared against Chase Young along with other elite edge defenders in college and his traits at the position, I think Slater will be just fine at protecting the blindside.

Backups: Trey Pipkins, Storm Norton

LG: Matt Feiler

One of the best value moves made by Los Angeles was signing Feiler. He started 40 games for the Steelers since joining them in 2016, including 29 games in the last two seasons – 26 at right tackle and 13 at left guard. During his time with Pittsburgh, he was a contributor to holding opponents to the fewest sacks in the NFL over the past three seasons. His consistency and durability and ability to fill in at multiple spots along the line will go a long way at maintaining competency up front.

Backups: Brenden Jaimes, Scott Quessenberry

C: Corey Linsley

Among the plethora of offseason acquisitions made by the Chargers, arguably the best one was signing the All-Pro center. Named first-team All-Pro and rated Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 center from 2020, Linsley didn’t allow a sack or a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage vs. the run. He allowed just four total pressures last season on 437 pass-blocking snaps — the lowest pressure total in the NFL. With Linsley, L.A. now has a dependable and consistent presence to anchor the offensive line.

Backups: Scott Quessenberry

RG: Oday Aboushi

The team released Trai Turner and went out and signed Aboushi in correspondence. Aboushi stepped into a starting role in the second half of the year for the Lions in 2020 and thrived. On 1,875 total snaps, he has only blown 33 blocks (19 pass, 14 run). Aboushi will have some competition in training camp with fifth-round pick Brenden Jaimes. But given the fact that he is coming off his best season yet and is more experienced, Aboushi should lock up the starting spot.

Backups: Brenden Jaimes, Scott Quessenberry

RT: Bryan Bulaga

Bulaga is the only returning member on the offensive line. After signing with the Chargers last offseason, the 34-year old was hit with a variety of injuries, limiting his time on the field to just 10 games. According to Sports Info Solutions, Bulaga surrendered 10 pressures (7 pass, 3 run) on 418 total snaps. If Bulaga is dinged up again, the team could move Feiler to right tackle and slide Jameis into the left guard spot or vice versa.

Backups: Trey Pipkins, Brenden Jaimes, Storm Norton

Projecting the roles of the Chargers 2021 NFL draft class

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out what to expect from Los Angeles’ rookies in the 2021 season.

In the 2021 NFL draft, the Chargers selected nine players.

Here, we will look at each of Los Angeles’ additions and project their roles as rookies.

 

POLL: Who was your favorite pick of the Chargers 2021 draft class?

The Los Angeles Chargers strung together an impressive haul. Who was your favorite player selected?

The Chargers made nine selections in the 2021 NFL draft.

Five were spent on the offensive side of the ball, while the other four were on the defensive side of the ball.

Another look at Los Angeles’ haul:

Round 1 – OT Rashawn Slater

Round 2 – CB Asante Samuel, Jr.

Round 3 – WR Josh Palmer & TE Tre’ McKitty

Round 4 – EDGE Chris Rumph II

Round 5 – OT Brenden Jaimes

Round 6 – LB Nick Niemann & RB Larry Rountree III

Round 7 – S Mark Webb

We felt like L.A. brought in players that could make an impact right away as well as others that will be key pieces down the road.

We want to hear who your favorite selection was. Vote in the poll below to let your opinion be known.

[crowdsignal poll=10827424]

Handing out awards for Chargers’ 2021 NFL draft class

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez neglects the draft grades and gives out some awards to some of the players selected.

The Chargers took nine players in the 2021 NFL draft.

There are many who believe draft grades are foolish because if the player that received a “D” turns out to be an All-Pro player, then it doesn’t necessarily correlate to the letter grade given.

So rather than going through all of that, why not hand out some awards in a different fashion?

Best bang for the buck: OT Brenden Jaimes

I figured that the Chargers would address depth along the offensive line with one of their two third-round picks, given the pool of talent still available. But even though the team passed up on the position altogether when many were projecting them to, Los Angeles still got a high-upside lineman in Round 5.

Having started 40 games at Nebraska, Jaimes is a battle-tested lineman who is an excellent technician in pass protection. He gives L.A. much-needed depth and versatility on the line. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him carve up a starting role next year.

The eyebrow-raiser: OT Rashawn Slater

Turn on any Northwestern tape dating back to 2017 when Slater was a freshman and he will have you in complete awe with his play on the field. But if you really want a clinic, go watch the 2019 tape against Ohio State, where he stymied Chase Young through all four quarters.

Slater is a menace up front. He is technically sound with his upper and lower body, very intelligent, physical and consistent which shows both in the pass and run-blocking department. It’s rare that a defender is getting by him or he’s consistently generating movement in the run game.

Best fit: CB Asante Samuel, Jr.

Prior to the draft, the player who was viewed as the ideal fit for the Chargers was Jaycee Horn, but Samuel Jr. also fell in the same conversations.

Samuel Jr. can play outside and defend the slot. He flourishes in man coverage, where he’s smooth at flipping his hips and running with receivers as well as in zone coverage, where he shines when reading route concepts and making plays on the football.

Samuel Jr. can do it all and him having a skillset tailor-made for what head Brandon Staley requires at the position will go a long way.

Most enticing: EDGE Chris Rumph II

Rumph enters the NFL with not a lot of sand in his pants but the guy is an energizer bunny when he is on the field.

He will need to get into an weight room to add strength to hold up against NFL offensive linemen and make an impact in the run game, but Rumph has the athleticism, bend, range and motor to be a top-notch pass rusher in this league.

Plus, it’s exciting to think what Staley can do with him after he contributed to the career year that Rams’ Leonard Floyd had in 2020.

Best phone call: WR Josh Palmer

It doesn’t happen that often that a player is asking for the team to send them the playbook already when he receives the draft phone call. Well, Palmer might have been the first.

1 thing to love about every Chargers rookie from 2021 NFL draft

The Los Angeles Chargers struck gold in the 2021 NFL draft. But what’s the main trait that makes the players so great?

The Chargers’ haul from the 2021 NFL draft continues to receive high praise from the general population.

While very few have mixed feelings, I wanted to give you one thing to love about every prospect that Los Angeles drafted.

2021 Senior Bowl proved to be important to Chargers’ draft

For Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, the draft starts in Mobile.

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.

Browns full mock draft v4.0: The ‘trade out of the 1st’ scenario

We explore what the Browns could get by trading out of the first round

We are now inside three weeks until Cleveland hosts the 2021 NFL draft. It’s getting to be crunch time for the Browns and all the other teams as pro days wrap up and scouting boards get finalized.

Mock drafts are a good chance to explore different scenarios, so in this edition, we’ll play with a new concept. What happens if the Browns traded out of the first round?

For that to happen, it takes a motivated buyer to come up to No. 26 overall. And I found one in the Miami Dolphins, who rocket back into the first round to snag Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips, a perfect fit for their “multiple” defensive front.

In this hypothetical, Miami agrees to send the Browns both of its second-round picks in 2021, No. 36 overall (from Houston) and No. 50, in exchange for the No. 26 pick. The teams also swap seventh-round picks, with Cleveland moving up from No. 257 to No. 231, the Texans pick also owned by Miami via trade.

The trade leaves the Browns with the following 10 selections:

  • 36
  • 50
  • 59
  • 89
  • 91
  • 110
  • 132
  • 169
  • 211
  • 231

If you want to track the progression of the mock drafts, here are the first three editions:

Browns full 2021 mock draft v3.0: Post-free agency kickoff

Browns full 2021 mock draft v2.0

Browns full 7-round mock draft v1.0

Lions meet with Nebraska OL Brenden Jaimes on pre-draft visit

Jaimes can play either tackle spot

The Detroit Lions recently held one of their pre-draft visits with Nebraska offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes. In accordance with NFL and school COVID-19 protocols, the meeting was held virtually.

Jaimes holds the Nebraska program record for starts by an offensive lineman with 40. He began as a right tackle but spent the last two-plus seasons as the primary left tackle for the Cornhuskers. However, his NFL future is likely at right tackle or guard. He did get some looks inside during Senior Bowl week.

At 6-6 and 300 pounds, Jaimes can play too upright and loses his balance and leverage at times. He improved his hand placement and ability to slide his feet in his senior season, so there is some upside despite the lengthy college experience. Jaims is generally projected as a seventh-round pick or undrafted free agent.

Packers meet virtually with Nebraska OL Brenden Jaimes

The Packers had a virtual pre-draft meeting with Nebraska offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes.

The Green Bay Packers had a virtual pre-draft meeting with Nebraska offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Jaimes, who started 40 straight games over four seasons, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection. His 40 starts are the second-most by an offensive lineman in school history.

Jaimes started nine games at right tackle as a freshman and 31 at left tackle over his final three seasons.

The Packers will likely be looking to build more depth along the offensive line during the draft. The team released right tackle Rick Wagner and will likely lose center Corey Linsley in free agency, and left tackle David Bakhtiari is recovering from an ACL injury.

Jaimes might be a mid-round option.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jaimes allowed six sacks, four quarterback hits and 22 hurries over his last three seasons. He gave up just four hurries and no sacks over seven games in 2020.

From PFF: “Jaimes has been one of the most accomplished pass protectors in the country over the past couple of seasons at Nebraska. After struggling a bit between right tackle and left tackle in his first two years as a starter, he allowed only 13 pressures on 637 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons. He’s perfected his angle sets to an NFL-caliber level and has a counter seemingly for every edge he faces. Jaimes’ issue is that he’s light as can be — and not in a good way. He isn’t going to take anyone off the line of scrimmage and will have a heck of a time holding up to bull rushes in the NFL.”

The Packers could see Jaimes as a prospect worth developing given his abilities as a pass protector. General manager Brian Gutekunst holds 10 picks in the 2021 draft.

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