Tag: Chargers draft picks

How athletic is the Chargers’ 2021 draft class?

Athleticism has been coveted by the Los Angeles Chargers in recent years.

Teams draft player that they believe will help put them in the best positions to win football games.

However, one of the key traits that has been highly coveted as of late when determining who is brought in is athleticism.

For the Chargers, it has been a priority in recent years.

How did they fare with this year’s haul?

According to Relative Athletic Score (RAS), a measure created by Kent Lee Platte, Los Angeles’ draft class averaged a RAS of 6.94 (out of 10).

RAS uses a combination of size and athletic testing numbers to produce a composite score for each player.

A player must have a total of six recorded metrics from any of the following: Height, Weight, Forty yard dash, Twenty yard split, Ten yard split, Bench Press, Vertical Jump, Broad Jump, Short Shuttle, 3-Cone.

Note: These numbers were recorded from each player’s perspective pro days because the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Of the past three draft hauls, this year’s RAS was the lowest. The 2019 draft class averaged a RAS of 8.63 while the 2020 class averaged a RAS of 7.38.

Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, tackle Brenden Jaimes and linebacker Nick Niemann were the only three players that had great RAS scores. The rest of the class had average scores, with the exception of running back Larry Rountree III who had a poor score.

The higher the RAS score does not mean the player will have better chances of being successful in the NFL, but the athleticism does come in handy as the game is only getting faster by the year.

What scouts said about Chargers RB Larry Rountree III ahead of draft

NFL scouts had nothing but great things to say about the Chargers’ sixth-round pick.

The Chargers drafted running back Larry Rountree III with the thought of him serving as a key special teamer in his rookie season. But in the eyes of NFL evaluators, the team might have something more valuable.

The Athletic’s Bob McGinn spoke to a few scouts to get their thoughts on Rountree and one of them said that he is “one of the better backs that was not being talked about.”

Known for his physicality as a runner, Rountree was highly praised by another scout for it.

“He runs every play like it will be the last time he’ll ever touch the football,” the scout said. “He’s violent. I loved the kid. His passion, his drive, his maturity. If he can get it, and that’s for coaches to say, he’s talented enough as a player.”

From an athletic standpoint, Rountree isn’t going to knock your socks off but he still has a skillset that translates to production on the field.

“He doesn’t have top-end speed,” a scout said. “He’s got feet and balance. He’s really good in pass (protection) and blitz pickup. He attacks guys. Knocks ’em on their butt. Likes to play in close games. I just like everything about him.”

Rountree enters this summer in a competition with Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and Darius Bradwell for a roster spot.

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]

1 stat to know about each of Chargers’ draft picks

These numbers should make supporters of the Chargers feel even more intrigued about the incoming rookie class.

The Chargers came away with an impressive haul of draft picks last weekend.

We picked out one stat to know about each of the Bolts’ draft picks from their collegiate career. These numbers should make supporters feel even more intrigued about the incoming rookie class.

OT Rashawn Slater

355 snaps, 5 quarterback pressures, 0 sacks allowed in 2019

Slater didn’t play in 2020 since he opted out prior to the season, but the year before that was all he needed to solidify himself as a first-round talent. In his first season protecting the blindside, Slater was a wall against elite competition, with the likes of Chase Young (Football Team), Zack Baun (Saints), AJ Epenesa (Bills) and Kenny Willekes (Vikings).

CB Asante Samuel, Jr.

More passes defended (33) than games played (32) in college

There are a ton of cornerbacks that went drafted this year and are already in the league with more of an immense physical profile than Samuel Jr. but very few have the same caliber of cover skills, instincts and ball awareness to fill up the stat sheet like he does.

WR Josh Palmer

14-of-14 in catching the “catchable balls” against elite competition

The Vol’s offense did not do Palmer any favors and he rarely got targeted because of it. But when he was targeted, he made the most of his opportunities, showing up against some elite cornerback prospects, including Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes and Kelvin Joseph. Out of the 14, 11 went for first downs, four touchdowns, and 16 yards per reception.

TE Tre’ McKitty

Never surpassed 70 yards receiving in any of his 42 career games

Go ahead and label McKitty strictly as a blocker all you want, but the lack production in the receiving game should not reflect how he’s going to be in the pros. He has shown glimpses of becoming a receiving threat, given his athleticism, ability to separate at the top of routes, a frame and great hands to reel in everything thrown his way along with impressive power and contact balance to gain yards after the catch.

EDGE Chris Rumph II

20% pressure rate

Whenever Rumph was on the field, one out five times he was either hurrying, hitting, knocking down or sacking the quarterback. While he will need to get into an weight room to add strength to hold up against NFL offensive linemen and benefit in the run game, Rumph has the athleticism, bend, range and motor to be a top-notch pass rusher in this league.

OT Brenden Jaimes

40 games started

Starting a school-record 40 games for the Cornhuskers, Jaimes saw the field for 473 snaps this past season without allowing a single sack or hit, and just four hurries. Durability is key and Jaimes exemplified that in college. If he keeps that same kind of consistency in the NFL, he could eventually become a starter, most likely inside at guard.

LB Nick Niemann

Averaged 9.6 tackles per game in 2020

This ranked fifth in the Big Ten in tackles per game. At his best against the run, rarely would you ever see a ball carrier get past Niemann as he possesses a strong upper-body to keep everything in front of him. That will carry over well on special teams, where he projects to be an asset early on.

RB Larry Rountree III

1.4 touchdowns per game

If Missouri was playing, Rountree was scoring. In 48 games, he rushed for 3,720 yards and 40 touchdowns, averaging five yards per carry. Not only is he going to be a contributor in pass protection, Rountree should help pick up first downs and win at the goal line due to his toughness and body control to bounce off defenders.

S Mark Webb

82% of snaps came in slot

This marked the most out of any other safeties this past season. Webb had responsibilities of the “STAR” position for Georgia, where he lined up over the slot receiver – which is a spot that Brandon Staley covets.

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.

Chargers announce jersey number for OT Rashawn Slater

Rashawn Slater was the first rookie who had their number announced for the upcoming season.

As offensive tackle Rashawn Slater takes a leap to the pros, the only thing that will change is the team logo and colors on his jersey.

The Chargers announced that Slater will be wearing No. 70, which is the same number he wore at Northwestern.

Slater, the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, will serve as quarterback Justin Herbert’s blindside blocker this upcoming season.

Los Angeles has yet to announce any of the other rookie’s numbers. But those should come trickling in soon.

You can get your Slater jersey here.

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.

4 undrafted free agents who could make Chargers 2021 roster

The Los Angeles Chargers have had a great amount of success on bringing in hidden gems that went undrafted.

The Chargers added nine new members throughout the course of the weekend in the 2021 NFL draft. Following the event itself, they notched an additional 10 undrafted free agents who will all be fighting for a spot.

Los Angeles has had a great amount of success on bringing in hidden gems that went undrafted, including safety Adrian Phillips, tight end Antonio Gates and running back Austin Ekeler.

With that, here are four that could see their names on the 53-man roster when the 2021 season rolls around.

 

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.

Derwin James pushed for Chargers to draft Asante Samuel, Jr.

The Florida State ties run deep.

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was selected by the Chargers in the second round, and while he may have been atop of their board already, a player already on the roster might have solidified their decision.

During the phone call between general manager Tom Telesco and Samuel Jr., Telesco revealed that safety Derwin James had been pushing for the team to select him prior to the draft.

“Derwin James has been lobbying for you for weeks,” Telesco told Samuel Jr.

“Yeah I know, that’s my guy,” Samuel Jr. responded. “That’s my guy right there.”

James’ response after the pick was announced says it all.

The two never played together since James’ last season was in 2017 and Samuel Jr.’s first season came in 2018. But despite that, the Florida State ties run deep.

James always made sure to return to his alma mater while Samuel Jr. was there for the three seasons, and he was key to the defensive back’s growth.

“The only person that really came back throughout the three years was Derwin James,” Samuel Jr. said at the time. “I feel like Derwin James, he explained to me how things worked and things of that nature.”

Now, reunited, James and Samuel Jr. will be integral pieces to a defense that’s looking to dethrone the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs.