Tag: Chargers Draft Selection

Instant analysis of the Chargers’ pick of TCU QB Max Duggan at No. 239 overall

What the selection of Max Duggan means for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Well, it seems like the Chargers were big fans of TCU’s College Football Playoff run.

After selecting Quentin Johnston at 21 and Derius Davis in the fourth round, LA went back to the Horned Frog well, capping their draft with quarterback Max Duggan at the 239th overall pick.

A 4.52 athlete, matching Johnston, Duggan finished with a 7.12 RAS that was largely weighed down by his agility scores. After beginning the 2022 season as the backup due to a coaching change, Duggan returned to the starting lineup after an injury and blossomed into a Heisman Trophy finalist.

With 47 career games under his belt, Duggan has plenty of experience against high-level competition. He finished with 9,618 passing yards and 73 touchdowns to just 28 interceptions. Those passing numbers were buoyed with 1,856 rushing yards for 28 more touchdowns over his four seasons in Fort Worth.

The Chargers will, of course, hope that Duggan doesn’t have to see the field anytime soon given the existence of Justin Herbert. However, Duggan should compete with Easton Stick for the primary backup job, and his mental makeup will add value as a scout team quarterback and another pair of eyes in the position room.

With ample athleticism for the position, Duggan will be able to simulate some of the more mobile quarterbacks the Chargers will have to face next season. There may also be some room for him to see the field in designed run packages if Kellen Moore wants to get creative with his offensive personnel.

And, of course, Duggan’s chemistry with Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis will likely help all three players transition to the NFL.

Bottom line: the Chargers got their backup QB of the future, one who’s familiar with all their new weapons.

Instant analysis of the Chargers’ pick of USC DL Tuli Tuipulotu at No. 54 overall

What the selection of Tuli Tuipulotu means for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers have added more pass-rush presence.

Tuli Tuipulotu can play on the inside or outside – while he primarily played on the interior for the Chargers, he shed weight from 290 to just 266 pounds at the combine, suggesting he’ll play on the edge once he returns to Los Angeles. However, he did not test prior to the draft with a hamstring injury.

That’s where Tuipulotu’s proximity to the Chargers likely comes into play. As a local player, any visit he took with LA did not count against their 30-player limit, meaning the Chargers may have been able to gain more clarity on his status than other teams around the league.

The rookie’s flexibility illustrates a key point about Brandon Staley’s defense: versatility is key. Tuipulotu can stick on the edge, where his power will be too much for tackles to handle. As a rookie, he’ll likely kick inside a fair bit with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack both on the field, where his quickness off the snap will be too much for guards and centers to compete with. With Bosa and Mack’s contracts both ballooning beyond 2023, it also gives the Chargers the flexibility to move on from one of their two stars heading into 2024.

While he was a 2022 unanimous All-American, Tuipulotu is only an average tackler who has some stiffness to his game. Those two factors are reasonable causes for concern. But his arsenal of pass rush moves and first step are ready-made for the NFL. As a rookie, he can see the field as a designated pass rusher from anywhere on the line while he improves his tackling ability and finds his true home. The Chargers are one of the few teams with that leeway.

Bottom line: this is a pick for both the present and future. Tuipulotu will contribute right away, with the upside of becoming an impact all-around player.

Chargers’ Brandon Staley on Zion Johnson: ‘Our top player on board at 17’

Brandon Staley sounds off on the newest member of the Los Angeles Chargers, Zion Johnson.

Head coach Brandon Staley took to the podium to give fans some insight on new Charger Zion Johnson.

“We’re really looking for power players on offense, particularly inside”

Staley emphasized Johnson’s journey from non-scholarship Davidson, where he started as a 255-pound tight end, to Boston College, where he ended his career as a 320-pound guard. With 10 ⅝” hands, 34” arms, and 32 reps of 225 lbs on the bench press, Johnson stood out to the Bolts as a “really strong player”, per Staley. Staley also expressed optimism about the power of the interior offensive line, citing Matt Feiler and Corey Linsley as the other two parts of a “really impressive trio”.

“If we hadn’t taken Zion Johnson, it was gonna happen shortly after us”

Staley let us in on the Chargers’ thought process, which was that they felt as though Johnson was coming off the board sooner rather than later. He called it “rare” that an interior lineman is thought of as highly as Johnson. Staley also said that while the Chargers were obviously focused on acquiring the best player at 17, their focus was on the offensive line. Instead of reaching for a tackle, the Bolts chose to stick to their guns and take Johnson, who Staley described multiple times as a “complete football player”.

“He was the top player on our board at 17”

Staley described the decision to pick Johnson as “unanimous”, as he was the highest-rated player left on the Chargers board as they came on the clock by both the scouting and coaching staffs. He mentioned Johnson’s exploits at the Senior Bowl, where the former Eagle excelled at both guard and center, and in Boston, where the pro-style system exposed the Chargers staff to “things that translate to the NFL level”. Staley also let everyone know that Johnson “aced” the interview process in addition to being an on-field standout.

Takeaways

Chargers fans should be thrilled to have Johnson in the building. The former computer science major has shown the smarts, toughness, and well-rounded game worthy of a first-round pick and day one starter in Los Angeles. It’s interesting that his spot will seemingly be at right guard, which remained open until today since the Chargers hadn’t brought back Oday Aboushi, who missed part of the season with a torn ACL. The fact that Staley emphasized Feiler as a cornerstone of the interior trio means that Trey Pipkins or a later draft pick could be the Week 1 starting right tackle.

It can be hard for fans to get excited about offensive line picks this high in the draft, and understandably so. But with how glowingly Staley talked about Johnson in Thursday’s presser, it’s hard not to be excited about his potential as a Charger. With Rashawn Slater firmly entrenched on the left side and Feiler, Linsley, and Johnson making up the interior, LA has four high-caliber offensive linemen to protect Justin Herbert and open lanes for Austin Ekeler in 2022.

Analysis of the Chargers’ pick of OL Zion Johnson with No. 17 overall selection

What the selection of Zion Johnson means for the Los Angeles Chargers.

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The Chargers have drafted a new starting guard in the form of Boston College guard Zion Johnson at No. 17 overall.

Johnson clocks in at 6’2 ⅝” and 314 pounds with 34” arms, which are long enough to play tackle if teams asked him to. Johnson also has experience at left tackle, where he played in stretches as an Eagle.

With a 9.55 RAS score, Johnson has elite testing numbers nearly across the board. The only middling number is the 10-yard split, suggesting a tiny deficiency in getting off the ball at the snap.

Johnson’s best traits come in pass blocking, which will be music to Justin Herbert’s ears, as he has a great anchor, foot speed, and lateral agility. As a run blocker, he is solid, as he plays with good leverage and power at the point of attack. Overall, it is the skillset to be a Day 1 starter.

With Johnson officially a Bolt, Los Angeles could be poised to move Feiler to right tackle, where he played for the Steelers in 2019. PFF had him at his best that season with a grade of 75.9.

Or, the team could be in a position to plug Johnson in as the starting right guard, which was formerly played by Oday Aboushi last season, and keep Feiler at left guard.

That would leave the right tackle spot as a question mark. However, the Chargers may believe Trey Pipkins, who has been working with Duke Manyweather, the best offensive lineman developer this offseason, as the starter.

The bottom line is that both Herbert and Austin Ekeler should be thrilled to welcome Johnson to Los Angeles for years to come.