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.
