Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Our Chargers’ NFL draft preview series continues with the offensive line.
After taking a steady approach in free agency, signing just one external player in linebacker Eric Kendricks and re-signing a handful of their own, the Chargers now have their sights set on the draft where they will look to bolster their roster with their selections and make a deeper run in 2023.
Before, we’re going position by position to break down where Los Angeles stands entering the draft.
Next up is the offensive line.
Catch the previous previews here:
The Huddle’s David Dorey releases his first NFL mock draft of 2023.
David Dorey’s first mock draft of 2023 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2023 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*Note: Miami forfeited its No. 21 overall selection for tampering.
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Brandon Staley said that Jamaree Salyer’s move to guard should better suit his skill set.
For the Chargers, offensive line play has never been more important as the team looks to maximize the contributions of quarterback Justin Herbert in 2023. In their pursuit of keeping their signal caller upright and operating in a clean pocket, the team is looking to reshuffle their front five next season to give themselves an edge over opposing pass rushers.
Brandon Staley spoke to the media on Monday about Jamaree Salyer, who will transition from the tackle position to guard. Staley told reporters Salyer is built to play the interior spots up front, and the third-year coach expects positive results from this latest shake-up to the team’s line.
“I think that’s his natural position,” Staley explained. “But as he proved last year, we know that Jamaree can play outside, but we kind of feel like he’s best suited to play inside. A lot of strengths as a player fit better inside.
To have him, Zion [Johnson] and Corey [Linsley] in the middle of your pocket, that’s certainly what you want to design from an offensive line standpoint. When you have that type of anchor in the middle, athleticism and then when your tackles are athletic like Trey and Rashawn [Slater] are, they have the range and the athleticism to kick to these rushers.”
Tom Telesco said the intention is to put Salyer at right guard and move second-year Zion Johnson to the left side.
Salyer started 15 games at left tackle in place of Rashawn Slater, who suffered a biceps injury in Week 3 that required surgery. Salyer entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft and found himself with more responsibilities than expected. Despite some struggles, he played reasonably well, especially given the circumstance he found himself in.
Whether this move will bear fruit for the Chargers or Salyer will remain to be seen until the 2023 season gets underway. Still, Staley’s conviction in changing the 22-year-old lineman’s position can’t be understated.
If Staley’s assessment of his game is accurate, Los Angeles may have converted a serviceable tackle into a Pro Bowl-caliber guard with this relatively minor offseason decision.
Taking a look at the best draft pick by each year for the Chargers over the past couple of decades.
The Chargers have seen a slew of top players roll through the franchise over the past couple of decades.
With the draft just a month away, let’s take a look at the best picks for the Bolts since 2000:
The Chargers offensive line was in the bottom 10 of the NFL in sacks allowed this past season.
In their effort to keep quarterback Justin Herbert upright throughout the 2022 season, the Chargers offensive line struggled mightily, giving up the seventh-most sacks of any team in the NFL.
One of the primary factors to their struggles was not having left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed 15 games due to a biceps injury he sustained in Week 3 against the Jaguars.
Slater’s replacement, rookie Jamaree Salyer, took over in Week 4 and remained there for the rest of the season, providing to be a viable pass protector to Herbert’s blindside.
There were more injuries, as center Corey Linsley and right tackle Trey Pipkins each missed three games. Pipkins showed signs of growth as a player, but there were moments when his sprained MCL hindered his play.
Left guard Matt Feiler proved to be a solid signing in 2021. But he regressed this past season significantly, allowing 38 pressures and five sacks.
Rookie Zion Johnson, who manned the starting right guard position, dealt with growing pains. While he was strong as a run blocker, Johnson had his fair share of struggles in pass protection, allowing 40 pressures and seven sacks.
When Pipkins missed time, Foster Sarell got the start at right tackle, and he did not show much to warrant the swing tackle job for the foreseeable future. Sarell allowed 18 pressures and two sacks on 186 pass-block snaps.
For once in a very long time, the Chargers won’t be in the market for starters along the offensive line, assuming that they re-sign Pipkins to remain as the starting right tackle. Feiler could be on the chopping block, but it’s presumed that Salyer is a candidate to be the starting left guard in 2023.
Nonetheless, Los Angeles still needs depth.
At center, Linsley’s backup from this season, Will Clapp, will be a free agent. Brenden Jaimes is the only backup guard. Also, bringing in competition for the swing tackle spot with Storm Norton and Sarell would be beneficial.
Highlighting three Chargers players under contract who could be positioned to break out during the 2023 season.
With free agency and the draft still ahead, the Chargers’ roster will undergo some changes over the next few months.
But before the shuffling begins, let’s take an early look at the players under contract who could be positioned to break out when the 2023 season kicks off.
Johnson was thrown into the fire in his first season, filling in as the team’s starting right guard from the get-go. He experienced typical rookie growing pains. They primarily came in pass protection, where he allowed 40 pressures and seven sacks. However, he was steadily strong as a run blocker alongside Trey Pipkins on the right side of the offensive line. With an entire offseason to improve his game, Johnson should grow into a good, complete player at the position for years to come.
Kelley competed for the No. 2 spot with Sony Michel early in the season and missed four games with a sprained MCL, but he solidified himself as the bonafide backup by the end of the year. Kelley finished the season with 69 carries for 287 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns and caught 14 of his 25 targets for 101 yards. With Kellen Moore overseeing the offense, he will emphasize improving the run game and has had proven success. The Cowboys had the seventh-best rushing offense while Moore was their offensive coordinator. Therefore, Kelley could be in for a fine third season.
The Chargers drafted Taylor as a core special teams player, which he proved to be. Taylor was outstanding in his role as a punt coverage gunner. Taylor ended up seeing some playing time on the defensive side of the ball toward the back end of the season. Taylor had some lapses in coverage, especially when he had to play as an outside corner. But his standout performance came in the big primetime win over the Dolphins, where he locked down Jaylen Waddle, showing glimpses of a solid slot corner. Additionally, he came on strong as a tackler in open space and a blitzer. With Bryce Callahan set to be a free agent in March, that could lead to a more prominent role for Taylor in his second season. And with what he showed inside, there’s no denying that he could be a key contributor.
Kellen Moore oozed confidence when talking about his offensive line during his introductory press conference.
The Los Angeles Chargers have assembled a highly effective offensive line in recent seasons, and their new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore seemed almost giddy to work with his front five in comments made during his introductory press conference.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Moore made it clear to reporters that despite not having met with the offensive line group yet, he is well aware of the elite talent he has at his disposal.
“I’m still in the process of going through that,” Moore said when asked about his line. “I’m really excited. We haven’t had an offensive staff meeting yet to really dig into this stuff. Certainly, the investment has been huge. Having a guy like [C] Corey [Linsley] as the center — you guys certainly probably feel it, but some people I think don’t recognize the importance of a veteran center and a guy who really runs the show. Corey has been one of the best in the NFL for a number of years. That is really exciting.
“I think that helps the quarterback. It relieves some of the workload and the volume that a quarterback has to do pre-snap. Having a guy like Corey run the show has been great. Certainly, there has been a lot invested there from a youth standpoint. Tons of younger players have had an opportunity to play. I’m excited to just see those guys continue to develop. They’re young players. Their future is skyrocketing right now. I’m just really excited to work with those guys.”
Certainly, the benefit of having a capable offensive line to protect the Chargers’ franchise quarterback will prove to be a huge advantage to Moore in his first year in Los Angeles. Keeping Herbert upright and well-protected in the pocket should enable Moore to utilize aggressive play calls in his game plans and should help the Chargers become a force in the stacked AFC next season.
Chargers GM Tom Telesco has a track record of drafting players that have been a part of the event.
For the 32 NFL teams in attendance, the Senior Bowl is a chance to see some of college football’s top players square off in a week of practices and a full game to wrap things up to prove to them that they can prepare, practice and compete like pros.
Within all of the action on the football field, this is the team’s first opportunity to sit down and get to know the prospects after watching them for years at their perspective school and talking to their coaches to gain more information on them.
While many clubs view this as just the first step of the pre-draft process, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco sees it as more than just that, given his track record of drafting players that have been a part of the week’s long event.
Since 2017, Los Angeles has drafted 23 former and current players who have participated in the Senior Bowl:
G Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky — 2017
G Dan Feeney, Indiana – 2017
S Rayshawn Jenkins, Miami – 2017
DB Desmond King, Iowa – 2017
DE Isaac Rochell, Notre Dame – 2017
DT Justin Jones, NC State – 2018
LB Uchenna Nwosu, USC – 2018
C Scott Quessenberry, UCLA – 2018
LB Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame – 2019
S Nasir Adderley, Delaware – 2019
QB Justin Herbert, Oregon — 2020
RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA — 2020
S Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame — 2020
WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State — 2020
WR Josh Palmer, Tennessee — 2021
TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia — 2021
OL Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska — 2021
RB Larry Rountree, Missouri — 2021
S Mark Webb, Georgia — 2021
OL Zion Johnson, Boston College — 2022
S JT Woods, Baylor — 2022
DT Otito Ogbonnia, UCLA — 2022
OL Jamaree Salyer, Georgia — 2022
Since he took the job in 2013, some of Telesco’s most significant values when evaluating players are production, statistics, and time spent at school. Another thing that he covets is not only good players but good people.
It’s rare that any of the guys brought in have issues or are constantly in trouble with off-the-field stuff. Instead, Telesco brings in good football players that are tough and competitive and fits the culture of what the Chargers want to be both on and off the field.
There will be plenty of players that should draw the attention of Telesco and the rest of the staff on hand, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Handing out awards to the Chargers players who stood out in the 2022 regular season.
The Chargers finished 10-7 and lost their first playoff game since 2018 in a season where they faced many injuries on both sides of the ball.
While many fans are ready to put this season to bed and focus on the offseason, it’s only right to reflect and hand out the season awards to certain players for their efforts on the field.
Zion Johnson was recognized for his efforts during the 2022 regular season.
The Chargers’ year is not over, as they are set to go toe-to-toe with the Jaguars in a playoff matchup on Saturday night.
But players are starting to be recognized for their efforts during the regular season, and among them is rookie Zion Johnson.
Pro Football Focus released its 2022 NFL All-Rookie Team, and Johnson made the cut.
Johnson didn’t quite live up to his NFL-ready billing as much as the Chargers would have hoped, but he was still easily the NFL’s best rookie starter at guard. He finished with a 64.8 overall grade, although that was mainly down to his performance as a run-blocker, as he allowed 40 pressures on the year.
Selected No. 17 overall out of Boston College in the 2022 NFL draft, Johnson was thrown into the fire in his first season, filling in as the team’s starting right guard from the get-go.
He appeared in every game, playing 100% of the offensive snaps, except for Week 11 against the Raiders when he came off the field for 11% of the snaps due to a shoulder issue that he experienced.
Johnson experienced rookie growing pains, particularly in pass protection, as he was tasked to go up against elite competition. However, he was steadily strong as a run blocker alongside Trey Pipkins.
With another full offseason to work on his game, Johnson could grow into a good player at the position for years to come.
