Tag: K.J. Hill

Top ten Ohio State wide receivers over the last ten years

Who’d we miss? Who do you think should be No. 1? #GoBucks

We have started a new series here at Buckeyes Wire of ranking the top players at each position for Ohio State over the last 10 years. Up next: wide receivers.

No program in college football has had as much talent at wide receiver in recent memory as Ohio State. This is evidenced by the fact that this list is being expanded from a top five to a top ten list.

The list includes wide receivers who lasted played for Ohio State in the 2013 season or later. Many of these players have gone on to become stars at the NFL level, but this list is based on what they did for the Buckeyes.

This was a difficult ranking to produce as there are many wide receivers deserving of praise, but here’s how it all shook out.

Shining Sophomore or Sophomore Slump? Grading Chargers 2020 draft class’ second season

Grading the Los Angeles Chargers 2020 draft class’ second season to determine if the sophomores slumped or shined.

When evaluating the previous season as a whole, it’s easy to make quick judgments on the rookie class. Yet, we forget about the group brought in the year prior.

With that, let’s take a look at whether the second-year players shined or slumped.

QB Justin Herbert

Many thought that Herbert could be in for a slump, given that teams finally had NFL tape on him, and he was playing for yet another offensive play-caller. However, there was nothing that slowed him down in Year 2. Instead, he turned it up just a notch from his outstanding rookie season. Herbert shined with his arm talent and athleticism and showed continuous growth weekly with reading complex coverages, all while dealing with a leaky right side of the offensive line. He finished with a 65.9 completion percentage, 5,014 passing yards, 38 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions, 302 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns en route to writing his name in the history books every week.

Grade: A

LB Kenneth Murray

Expected to make a leap in Brandon Staley’s defense, Murray’s play did not reflect that early on before being sent to the injured reserve. Instead, his woes consisted of missing tackles, over-pursuing ball carriers, and struggling to shed blocks and work off contact. Soon after, Murray transitioned to an edge defender, hoping to elevate his game upon returning to the field. Still, that did not benefit him. It was a combination of limitations in his counters and strength, lacking a plan of attack when rushing and running too wide of the arc. Whether it was being held by an ankle injury and COVID-19 or the complexity of the system, Murray did not play like a first-rounder.

Grade: F

RB Joshua Kelley

One of the biggest questions heading into the season was who would establish themselves as the clear-cut backup behind Austin Ekeler. It took 14 weeks into the season for the Chargers to finally decipher that, and it was Justin Jackson who stepped up. Kelley didn’t have many opportunities early on, but when he did get more touches that came against the Giants, he turned ten carries into just 3.3 yards per carry. Kelley finished with 102 yards on 33 rushes (3.1 YPC). Given that Jackson is a free agent, it could lead to more snaps for Kelley. However, based on the lack of touches between him and Larry Rountree in 2021, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team instead went after a veteran in free agency to back up Ekeler in 2022.

Grade: C-

WR Joe Reed

Reed spent the 2021 season on the Chargers’ practice squad injured list with an ankle injury. However, he was recently signed to a Reserve/Future contract, indicating that he could be in to compete for the job as the starting returner.

Grade: N/A

S Alohi Gilman

Between a quad injury and COVID-19, Gilman’s season was cut to 11 games. It was a mixed bag of results when he was on the field. While he showed some flashes, like in Week 3 in the win over the Chiefs when he had the game-sealing interception, missed tackles in the open field were an issue late in the season. In coverage, Gilman allowed 10 receptions on 13 targets for 93 yards (9.3 yards per reception). Still, he showed enough to suggest that he will be a key rotational piece in the secondary next season.

Grade: B-

WR K.J. Hill

Hill survived cuts and was named to the 53-man roster over the likes of Tyron Johnson and Joe Reed. In the season opener, he caught three passes for 30 yards. Hill resumed his primary duties as the Chargers’ punt returner before being waived in favor of Andre Roberts. He amassed just 6.8 yards on six returns through the first six games. After clearing waivers, he was signed to the practice squad, where he remained the rest of the season. Hill was a surprise since he didn’t sign a Reserve/Future contract after the season, indicating that his time with the team is all but over.

Grade: C

Chargers add recently-waived WR K.J. Hill to practice squad

The Chargers brought back a familiar face.

Not even 24 hours after being waived, wide receiver K.J. Hill was back.

The Chargers re-signed him to their practice squad, according to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed.

Hill was briefly let go of for Los Angeles to make room for wideout/return specialist Andre Roberts, who was signed to the 53-man roster on Thursday.

Hill was the team’s primary punt returner, but the second-year player amassed just 6.8 yards on six returns through the first six games.

Despite losing his spot to Roberts, Hill’s special teams ability and insurance in case an injury occurred was still coveted by the Bolts.

Since 2020, Hill has ten catches for 103 yards while returning 18 punts for 124 yards and five kicks for 57 yards.

Chargers officially sign Andre Roberts, waive K.J. Hill

The Chargers officially locked up the 12-year veteran.

The Los Angeles Chargers announced they have officially signed wide receiver/returner Andre Roberts. To make room for Roberts, the team waived WR K.J. Hill.

Hill served as the Bolts’ primary punt returner, but the third-year played amassed just 6.8 yards on six returns.

Hill is eligible to be signed to the practice squad.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are hopeful that Roberts, the 12-year veteran, can provide a spark as both a kick and punt returner.

From 2018 to 2020 with the Jets and Bills, Roberts picked up two All-Pro nods and trips to the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons.

With New York, Roberts finished with career bests for both punt and kickoff returns with 324 and 1,174 yards, respectively.

In his first season with Buffalo, Roberts returned 53 kicks for 888 yards. He followed that up with a league-leading 30.0 yards per return.

Chargers’ Nasir Adderley named front-runner as primary kick returner

In 2020, Nasir Adderley averaged 28.9 yards per kick return.

The Chargers’ remodeled special teams department is taking shape.

According to head coach Brandon Staley, safety Nasir Adderley has the lead to serve as the team’s primary kick returner.

During the preseason, it was Justin Jackson, Larry Rountree, K.J. Hill and Adderley who were all in competition for the job.

Last season, Tyron Johnson and Joe Reed and Adderley returned kicks and it was the former second-round pick who was the most superior out of the trio.

On 11 attempts, Adderley totaled 318 yards, with an average of 28.9 yards per return.

Staley also added that Hill will be the punt returner to begin the season.

Chargers’ 53-man roster shows a strong commitment to fixing shaky special teams

After finishing with the worst special teams in 2020, the Chargers are expecting a major turnaround.

A combination of poor coverage and return skills, bone-headed penalties and  kicking woes led to the Chargers having the worst special teams in the NFL last season.

The first step to fixing the department came with the hiring of Derius Swinton II, who is entering his 14th season as a special teams coach.

While the change in the coaching staff was one thing, the players that make up the 53-man roster shows how a great of an emphasis head coach Brandon Staley and company put on the unit.

“We want to elevate the standard of performance,” Staley said. We’re looking for guys to separate and create roles for themselves. We expect them to do things a certain way.”

The first act of service was finding a starter kicker, which they did by keeping Tristan Vizcaino over Michael Badgley. Staley highlighted Vizcaino as a player who they believe has “real talent,” lauding his leg strength.

The next came when the team established one of their return specialists. Instead of keeping the talented Tyron Johnson, it was K.J. Hill who they decided to roll with as the fifth and final receiver because of his ability to return punts.

Keeping guys that they felt would make an impact on the coverage units was also strongly taken in consideration, which is why bubble players like undrafted rookie Amen Ogbongbemiga, Kemon Hall, Tevaughn Campbell and Stephen Anderson made the cut.

Like the puzzling decision to move on from Johnson, the Chargers didn’t shy away from letting notable names go that they felt didn’t bring much special teams value. That includes Brandon Facyson, who was released on Wednesday in favor of Trey Marshall and eventually Ryan Smith.

The reasoning? Staley called Marshall an “outstanding special teams player.”

Los Angeles wants to be a playoff team in 2021, but they need to see improvement in their special teams unit to make that happen. With the staff and players the team boasts, there is hope this department will be much more competent.

Chargers’ Brandon Staley talks decision to release WR Tyron Johnson

Deciding to let go of the ascending wide receiver was arguably the biggest surprise.

Among the biggest surprises with the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster was the absence of wide receiver Tyron Johnson.

After emerging as one of top pass-catching options last season, it was expected that Johnson was going to take another step. However, it won’t be in the blue and gold.

Upon seeing the report, fans quickly grew puzzled and wondered why Johnson wasn’t going to be back.

Following Tuesday’s practice, head coach Brandon Staley explained the decision to release Johnson, citing that it was a numbers issue and not having a place on special teams for him.

“It was a tough one, a really tough one,” Staley said. “T-Billy has done a lot for this team in the past and he did some good things for us in camp. That was one of the tougher conversations that I had today.

I think that we have a really deep receiver room. There’s a lot of competition. I think that it’s just one of things where it’s more numbers, not so much how we feel about him as a player, because I have a lot of respect for his game.

Just where we’re at from a numbers standpoint, and then the kicking game, being a big aspect of those back-end receiver roles. Just felt like going in this direction would be the right direction for us right now.”

Given that special teams upside is crucial, they elected to keep K.J. Hill as the fifth receiver. Hill made the team solely as the punt returner, with the ability to return kicks, too.

Johnson is a practice squad candidate, but if the Chargers decide to move on from him altogether, a handful of teams will likely be inquiring to bring in the speedy wideout who averaged 19.9 yards per reception in 2020.

Chargers’ offensive position battles heading into preseason finale

There are still several unsettled position battles on the offensive side of the ball for the Chargers.

The preseason finale is set for Saturday night, as the Chargers will take on the Seahawks at Lumen Stadium in Seattle, WA.

Here’s a closer look at the top positional battles ahead of Los Angeles’ matchup against Seattle.

Backup quarterback

Despite Easton Stick outperforming Chase Daniel this summer, I’m still a believer that Daniel has the advantage due to his experience in this league, familiarity with Joe Lombardi’s offense and mentorship for Justin Herbert. What this could ultimately come down to is Stick’s performance to potentially have the coaching staff consider keeping three quarterbacks on the roster.

Running back

In somewhat of a surprise, it’s been rookie Larry Rountree who’s been the highlight of the backfield. Aside from him, Darius Bradwell has raised eyebrows as a runner and contributions on special teams. Could Bradwell sneak into one of the four spots? It’s certainly possible, knowing Justin Jackson has still struggled to stay healthy and Joshua Kelley hasn’t produced much on the ground.

Wide receiver

There are five spots that are presumably filled, with those being by Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. Assuming the team keeps six wideouts, it’s up for grabs between K.J. Hill, Joe Reed, Jason Moore, John Hurst and Michael Bandy. I believe Hill has a slight leg up, given the fact that he’s been the first-team return specialist during the preseason.

Swing tackle

This was a position battle that flew under the radar heading into the summer because the Chargers had their starters solidified, yet the lack of depth was always evident. It became very clear last weekend when Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton had no answers for the 49ers pass rushers. Even head coach Brandon Staley noted it. Someone needs to step up or else this could be a serious issue this season.

Chargers vs. 49ers: Takeaways from first half of preseason, Week 2

Highlighting the first half of the preseason battle between the Chargers and 49ers.

The Chargers currently lead the 49ers in the second preseason exhibition by the score of 10-8.

Here are a few quick takeaways from the first half of play:

Uneven performance for Easton Stick

Stick has the chance to show that he’s worth sticking around, but hasn’t done much. The majority of Stick’s completions were check downs to running backs Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III. Stick looked to connect with tight end Stephen Anderson a few times but the two have only linked up once. These games are vital for the evaluation of the team’s wide receivers, but there was not much to go off of aside from a 39-yard completion to wide receiver Jalen Guyton.

Right place at the right time

The Chargers posted two interceptions and while they’ve been solely off of dropped passes by the wide receivers, it speaks to head coach Brandon Staley’s ability to put his defenders in a consistently optimal position to make plays on the football.

Signing Kyler Fackrell was a great move

Up to this point, there might not be another defender that’s been as consistent as Fackrell. Looking to solidify a role this season, Fackrell has looked the team’s second-best edge defender to Joey Bosa, with his ability to generate pressure on quarterbacks and set the edge in the run game. He has three quarterback hits and a sack.

Trey Pipkins has struggled

With the opportunity to prove himself as a reliable swing tackle, Pipkins has been unable to step up to the plate. He gave up a sack last weekend and allowed another one today to 49ers EDGE Jordan Willis. In addition, Pipkins was penalized for holding Willis.

K.J. Hill has not moved the needle as a return specialist

Finding a reliable return man is at the top of Los Angeles’ priority list, and Hill has not done anything to make his case. Starting the game as the first kick and punt returner, Hill only managed to pick up 18 yards on his kick return and three yards on his punt return.

Lots of beef in the backfield

We knew that Staley’s system would benefit a lot of players by allowing for more one-on-one matchups, but the interior part of the defensive line in particular has taken advantage of it. Cortez Broughton, Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko and Joe Gaziano have all brought the juice in the pass rush department.

Updates on Chargers’ special teams position battles

Find out which kicker has the leg up and which return specialist is emerging.

Improving the special teams is one of the Chargers’ priorities ahead of the regular season after finishing as the league’s worst last year.

The team brought in a few players in hopes of aiding the department, and now they’re in the midst of position battles to solidify starting spots.

The most compelling is the competition for the starting kicker between the returner, Michael Badgley and the newcomers, Tristan Vizcaino and Alex Kessman.

The past two days at camp the team has kicked field goals, and it has been neck and neck.

Badgley made all five of his attempts — 32 yards, 36 yards, 55 yards, 49 yards and 52 yards. He did not kick on Tuesday.

Vizcaino is currently 9-for-10 — hitting from 33 yards, 41 yards, 45 yards, 49 yards and 52 yards yesterday. Today, he made his kicks from 40 yards, 44 yards, 48 yards and 51 yards and missed from 33 yards.

Kessman did not kick on Monday. On Tuesday, he went 4-for-5, hitting from 33 yards, 40 yards, 48 yards and 51 yards, with his miss coming from 44 yards.

Vizcaino appears to have the strongest leg out of the bunch.

Entering camp, the return specialist spots were wide open, but Austin Proehl appears to be moving the needle. Not only has he done well with the special teams unit, Proehl is proving himself as a pass-catching option.

Proehl, the free agent acquisition, has consistently been open, has caught nearly everything thrown his way and has found the end zone on multiple occasions.

Today at media availability, special teams coordinator Derius Swinton II named Larry Rountree III, K.J. Hill and Proehl as other options at kick returner aside from Nasir Adderley.