Tag: Tre McKitty

Chargers rookie TE Tre’ McKitty impresses with intelligence at spring practices

The Los Angeles Chargers’ third-round pick made an impression at OTAs.

When a rookie arrives in the spring, they typically spend that time getting adapted to the playbook and learning all the nuances of the NFL. But for tight end Tre’ McKitty, he seems to be ahead of the curve.

Veteran TE Jared Cook mentioned McKitty when asked about the group as a whole, highlighting his ability to absorb information and translate it to the field.

“I’m impressed,” Cook said. Very smart individual. He actually understands the offense, and you don’t really see rookies understand the playbook until training camp.

McKitty was drafted for his blocking skills, where he will have a role as an in-line blocker right off the bat in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system. However, he has more potential to make an impact through the air than most realize.

While he was not that used that much in the passing game in college, McKitty has the athleticism, ability to separate at the top of routes, a frame and great hands, along with impressive power and contact balance to gain yards after the catch.

It might not be from the get-go that he gets targets since Cook and Donald Parham are ahead of him on the depth chart, but don’t be surprised if McKitty carves up a role in that department sooner than later.

Which rookie could be surprise gem for Chargers in 2021?

The Los Angeles Chargers have a rookie that could surpass expectations.

While expectations are set high for the Chargers’ early-round picks, there could be someone from the mid- late-rounds that ends up surprising in their rookie season.

Based on talent, upside, the right fit and a legitimate opportunity, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed a first-year player who could end up being a surprise gem for each team in the league.

For Los Angeles, Knox listed third-round pick, tight end Tre’ McKitty as the team’s rookie who could surpass expectations.

The selection of McKitty was largely a traits-based pick, as he only had six receptions for 108 yards in 2020. However, McKitty is a 6’4″, 246-pound pass-catcher with 4.71 speed. Raw and unpolished as a route-runner, McKitty will be a rotational player early in his career. However, he can be a physical mismatch with big-play potential.

Expect McKitty to come on slowly as a rookie but develop into the type of vertical-threat tight end whom Los Angeles lost in Henry.

McKitty was drafted for his blocking skills, where he will have a role is an in-line blocker right off the bat. However, he has true potential to make an impact through the air than most realize.

He has the 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.

For Georgia in 2020, McKitty only posted six receptions in four games, which marked a career-low. Before transferring, McKitty had 50 catches in three seasons at Florida State.

It might not be from the get-go that he gets pass-catching snaps since Jared Cook and Donald Parham are ahead of him on the depth chart, but don’t be surprised if McKitty carves up a role sooner than later.

ESPN’s Mike Clay projects Chargers’ 2021 offensive stats

ESPN’s Mike Clay takes a crack at projecting the production of the offensive side of the ball for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mike Clay is an NFL and fantasy football analyst at ESPN and spends a lot of time going through algorithms and formulas to project player and team stats prior to the regular season.

Clay revealed his offensive projections for the upcoming season.

Let’s take a look at how he believes the Chargers skill players will fare in 2021 under new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

Quarterback

Player C/A Yards TDs INT Carries Yards TDs
Justin Herbert 394/602 4,434 28 12 56 248 5
Chase Daniel 21/31 222 1 1 1 4 0

Running back

Player Carries Yards Average TDs Receptions Yards TDs
Austin Ekeler 200 911 4.5 5 75 613 3
Justin Jackson 86 385 4.4 2 19 139 1
Joshua Kelley 65 269 4.1 2 15 104 1

Wide receiver

Player Targets Receptions Yards Average TDs Carries Yards
Keenan Allen 154 105 1,097 10.4 7 2 13
Mike Williams 89 56 869 15.5 6 0 0
Josh Palmer 49 31 409 13.2 3 0 0
Jalen Guyton 37 21 316 15.0 2 2 11
Tyron Johnson 18 11 166 15.0 1 4 22

Tight end

Player Targets Receptions Yards Average TDs
Jared Cook 61 40 496 12.4 4
Donald Parham 43 29 320 11.0 3
Stephen Anderson 6 4 46 11.5 0
Tre’ McKitty 3 2 20 10 0

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]

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.

Chargers announce rookie jersey numbers for 2021 season

The Los Angeles Chargers rookies have their numbers set in stone for the 2021 season.

The Chargers announced the jersey numbers for their 2021 rookie class on Thursday night.

Here’s a look at the first-year players and the numbers they will be sporting:

  • OT Rashawn Slater – 70
  • CB Asante Samuel, Jr. – 26
  • WR Josh Palmer – 5
  • TE Tre’ McKitty – 88
  • EDGE Chris Rumph II – 94
  • OT Brenden Jaimes – 64
  • LB Nick Niemann – 31
  • RB Larry Rountree III – 35
  • S Mark Webb – 29

What scouts said about Chargers TE Tre’ McKitty ahead of NFL draft

The best has yet to come for the Chargers’ third-round pick, tight end Tre’ McKitty.

The Chargers needed to round out the tight end group, so the team used one of their third-round picks (No. 97 overall) on Tre’ McKitty, the former Georgia product.

McKitty was drafted for his blocking skills, where he will have a role is an inline blocker right off the bat. However, he has true potential to make an impact through the air than most realize.

The Athletic’s Bob McGinn talked to a couple of NFL evaluators prior to the draft to get their perspectives on McKitty, and one of them sees him as a viable option to be the complete package at the position.

“He’s a little bit of a project who has a lot of upside,” said one scout. “He’s not a freakish athlete, but you see enough traits in there. Nice (catching) radius, big hands. He competed as a blocker.”

For the Bulldogs in 2020, McKitty only posted six receptions in four games, which marked a career-low.

“He wasn’t used well enough at Georgia,” a second scout said. “Athletically, it looks like he belongs. He’s going to need some work. He’s more of a receiving tight end than an in-line blocker.”

Before transferring to Georgia, McKitty had 50 catches in three seasons at Florida State.

Overall, McKitty has potential to not only be a stout blocker but someone who can be counted on as a reliable receiver in this league.

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.