Tag: Chris Rumph II

Chargers rookie Chris Rumph II worked out with one of NFL’s best pass rushers in offseason

Chris Rumph II is a student of the game.

Upon being drafted by the Chargers, edge defender Chris Rumph II wasted no time to begin working on his craft to make the transition from college to the NFL.

According to head coach Brandon Staley, Rumph turned to Bears star pass rusher Khalil Mack to workout with prior to the start of training camp.

During his time as the outside linebackers coach with Chicago, Staley had a big impact on Mack’s game.

Staley added that he’s been impressed with Rumph, but he wants him to continue to gain weight.

Adding mass will be vital to his development in this league, but despite being undersized to league’s standards at the moment, Rumph’s knack for living in opposing backfields on a consistent basis should still be put to good use.

Rumph has an excellent feel for getting heat on the quarterback with pure athleticism, explosiveness, length and body flexibility.

Rumph won’t surpass Joey Bosa, Uchenna Nwosu or Kyler Fackrell in snaps, but he should still have a role as a situational pass rusher where he will be used on twists and stunts to get home.

Given the success that Staley has had with players at the position coupled with his current skillset and upside, Rumph should see some production in his rookie season.

Projecting the Chargers’ edge defender depth chart in 2021

The Los Angeles Chargers’ edge defender group is led by the imposing presence of Joey Bosa.

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

Offensive Line

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

Starter: Joey Bosa

After becoming the highest paid edge defender in the NFL, Bosa showed why he was worth every penny. Despite missing four games due to various injuries, Bosa was a major contributor on the defensive side of the ball, as he logged 41 quarterback pressures, 27 hits and 7.5 sacks. He also came up clutch on multiple occasions against the run. The outcome was him being named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. This season, Bosa will be an integral piece of head coach Brandon Staley’s defense, where it’s expected that he will play on the edge of the line as an outside pass rusher, and a little bit closer to the ball as an interior defensive lineman because he has the length and strength to anchor, too.

Starter: Uchenna Nwosu

Since entering the league back in 2018, Nwosu had only been used as an off-ball strongside linebacker as well as a situational pass-rusher. Despite having a limited load, with his defensive snaps under 40% in 45 career games, Nwosu still totaled 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 59 quarterback pressures and 44 hurries. Now in a system that favors his skillset and under the guidance of Staley and outside linebackers coach Jay Rodgers, Nwosu could be in for his biggest season in 2021.

Backup: Kyler Fackrell

Fackrell was among the many additions earlier this offseason after spending last year with the Giants. He brings plenty of experience to the Chargers, having six seasons in the NFL under his belt, both as a starter and a rotational pass-rusher. Fackrell has 20.5 sacks in five seasons, with his most productive season coming in 2018 when he had 10.5 sacks with the Packers. This season, Fackrell will serve as a situational pass-rusher, barring any injury to Bosa or Nwosu. On top of that, he will be a special teams ace.

Backup: Chris Rumph II

Rumph II was drafted in the fourth-round of this year’s draft out of Duke. While he’s undersized for the position at 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds, Rumph demonstrated the ability to rush the passer at a high level. Similar to Leonard Floyd, who Staley coached last year with Rams, Rumph has an excellent feel for getting heat on the quarterback with pure athleticism, explosiveness, length and body flexibility. While the traits are there, he isn’t a true edge-setter due to lack of strength and bulk on his frame. Rumph will likely be a third-down pass-rusher and special teamer early on in his career while he continues to get stronger.

Chargers rookies understanding value of special teams

The first-year players get that jobs are won based on how they do on special teams units.

First-year players enter the NFL with the expectations of seeing the field at their perspective positions early on. However, the chances of that occurring are slim. Instead, they must prove their worths on special teams.

Special teams is important because it’s a stepping stool which works to help young players get acclimated to the speed of the game, one of the biggest adjustments to coming into this league.

For the Chargers, it’s especially vital after finishing as the worst special teams unit last season. The team is optimistic that this year’s rookie class will be able to aide in that department moving forward.

“All of the rookie class, they’ve really been good at absorbing the things that we’ve been putting in,” special teams coordinator Derius Swinton II said. “I think that they can all contribute at some point.”

In particular, two players highlighted by Swinton that have grasped the concepts quickly are Chris Rumph II and Nick Niemann due to their collegiate experiences at Duke and Iowa.

An undrafted rookie who is looking to earn a spot on the 53-man roster is Amen Ogbongbemiga, who has also caught the eye of Swinton.

While the majority of the rookies may not get snaps early on, that could change at any given time based on how they perform at simply covering a kick.

What is Chargers’ biggest red flag heading into 2021 season?

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named the Los Angeles Chargers’ biggest red flag entering the 2021 season.

After a handful of acquisitions this offseason, the Chargers’ roster looks to be in great shape ahead of the 2021 regular season.

However, is there a position group that Los Angeles failed to address that might be an issue when the fall comes around?

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes so.

When assessing each NFL team’s biggest red flag entering this upcoming season, Knox tabbed the pass rush for L.A.

Here’s a look at his explanation:

Getting to the opposing quarterback, however, could remain a problem for the Chargers. Los Angeles produced only 27 sacks in 2020 and did nothing to improve the pass rush in free agency—it also has yet to re-sign longtime starter Melvin Ingram III.

The Chargers didn’t take a pass-rusher in the draft until the fourth round, where they selected Duke’s Chris Rumph II.

Now, the Chargers do have one elite sack artist in Joey Bosa, who has 47.5 sacks in five pro seasons. On the other hand, they lack depth, as Bosa was the only Chargers defender to reach five sacks last season. It’s worth noting that Bosa and Ingram missed a combined 13 games in 2020, but there was nobody to pick up the slack.

Believe it or not, but the majority of the general population believes that one of the Chargers’ biggest losses this offseason was not re-signing Melvin Ingram. However, not keeping Ingram may end up paying dividends because it will lead to more playing time for Uchenna Nwosu.

Last season, Nwosu proved to be the team’s second best pass rusher behind Joey Bosa while Ingram missed time with an injury. With his defensive snaps being under 40% in 45 career games, Nwosu has still totaled 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 59 quarterback pressures and 44 hurries.

The starting tandem of Bosa and Nwosu should wreak havoc, and they should only benefit from being under Brandon Staley, who has worked with some of the league’s best edge defenders and he puts his players in the best position to win their perspective matchups.

Knox mentions that the edge defender depth is an issue, but the additions of Kyler Fackrell and Chris Rumph II, who will serve as situational pass-rushers, are sneakily good gets.

Fackrell has 20.5 sacks in five seasons, with his most productive season coming in 2018 when he had 10.5 sacks with Green Bay. At Duke, whenever he was on the field, one out five times Rumph was either hurrying, hitting, knocking down or sacking the quarterback.

In addition, the interior presence of Linval Joseph, Jerry Tillery and Justin Jones should be able to generate pressure.

If anything, kicker is arguably one of the biggest red flags heading into the season. The special teams department was a mess last season, and there’s not a bonafide starter at the position.

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.

 

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.

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]

What scouts said about Chargers EDGE Chris Rumph II ahead of draft

Find out what NFL evaluators thought of the Los Angeles Chargers’ fourth-round pick coming out college.

The Chargers needed to fill out the edge defender group, so the team opened up Day 3 by selecting Chris Rumph II, the former Duke product.

The Athletic’s Bob McGinn talked to a couple of NFL evaluators prior to the draft to get their perspectives on Rumph.

While he’s undersized for the position at 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds, Rumph still has a knack for living in opposing backfields on a consistent basis.

“The guy just never stops,” said one scout. “He gets bounced around like a pinball, but the guy has some edge rush ability. He’s a rotational defensive end (in a 4-3), or he could play in a 3-4. Pretty decent athlete, but (size) is an issue. Looks like a basketball player.”

A current NFL player that Rumph is commonly compared to is Rams’ Leonard Floyd, who had a career year playing under Brandon Staley last season.

Like Floyd coming out of college, Rumph has an excellent feel for getting heat on the quarterback with pure athleticism, explosiveness, length and body flexibility, but he lacks an array of pass-rush moves and he isn’t a true edge-setter due to lack of strength and bulk on his frame.

“Poor man’s Leonard Floyd,” said a second scout. “Love the way the guy plays. Has amazing flexibility. He just gets in so many awkward positions and gets knocked around, but he always comes out of it. How much bigger and stronger is this guy going to get?”

Why Chargers fans should be excited about EDGE Chris Rumph II

The Chargers’ fourth-round pick is a polarizing pass rusher who has the upside to be disruptive in the NFL.

The Chargers entered the draft needing to add another player who would fill out the edge defender group. In the fourth-round, the team selected former Duke EDGE Chris Rumph II.

Starting 11 of 36 career games for the Blue Devils, Rumph II recorded 124 total tackles, an impressive 33 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and five passes defended.

This was a position that I had a lot of my attention on, wondering who head coach Brandon Staley would bring in that meets his criteria, with that being a player that has athleticism, length and versatility.

Rumph met all those traits to a tee.

According to Pro Football Focus, Rumph II lined up 346 times on the defensive line, primarily as a wide-9, but he was also deployed in the box 193 times as an inside linebacker.

Rumph II, the 6-foot-5 and 236 pounder, possesses a wiry frame with long arms coupled with explosiveness, short-area quickness and natural bend that enables him to live in opposing backfields.

While lacking a complete arsenal of pass-rush moves, Rumph II shows quick hands and the desired length to keep his chest clean.

Rumph is effective when used to blitz from the inside, showing good snap instincts and timing to shoot gaps.

Rumph has impressive lateral agility on slants/twists.

Rumph has good core strength and flexibility to get skinny through narrow windows.

While he’s not one to take on offensive tackles in heads-up situations in the run game due to his lack of size and strength, Rumph reads and processes things very quickly, showing the range, speed and backside pursuit ability to make plays.

The big knock on Rumph II is that he can struggle if blockers win inside leverage and control his chest plate or against combo blocks due to his lack of power and bulk, but you’re not going to see any plays taken off, even if he’s beat – always showing good competitive toughness.

The lack of size and strength would also show as he would fail to bring down ball carriers when he had them in his grasp (as seen in the first clip above).

Rumph’s physical profile may be working against him at the moment, but the concerns he draws should be mitigated by the polarizing pass-rush skillset he has and him landing in the most ideal situation to mold him into a great player in this league.

Rumph will be playing under Staley, the defensive guru who has worked with the likes of Von Miller, Khalil Mack and Bradley Chubb, while being the one who unlocked the full potential of others like Leonard Floyd and Justin Hollins.

He will also be coached by Jay Rodgers, current outside linebackers coach and former Bears defensive line coach, who developed players like Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris, as well as numerous veterans, including Mitch Unrein and Nick Williams.

Overall, Rumph’s blend of athleticism, length, fluidity and hand technique gives him an exciting ceiling. He projects as a sub-package contributor initially, but Rumph could eventually blossom into a double-digit sack artist once he physically matures and is properly coached up and utilized.

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.