Looking at the 2021 Chargers draft class, there are a few obvious standouts. Rashawn Slater was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie at left tackle. Second-round pick Asante Samuel Jr. showed flashes at corner. Wide receiver Josh Palmer looks like a bona fide WR3 behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Yet when you look at the PFWA All-Rookie team from last season, it’s neither Samuel nor Palmer that joins Slater on the list. Instead, the second Chargers player on the list is sixth-round pick Nick Niemann, voted to the team as a special teamer.
Niemann, drafted to Los Angeles out of Iowa, may already be a standout special teamer. But there’s reason to believe he’ll also be a factor at linebacker this season. Listed on the second team behind Drue Tranquill at weakside linebacker, Niemann has a chance to show that he deserves a more significant role during this preseason. Tranquill likely won’t play much this preseason as an established player, especially with Kenneth Murray already on the shelf, which could put Niemann next in line for starting reps.
Brandon Staley’s defense habitually turns late draft picks and UDFAs into starting linebackers. Troy Reeder started seven games as a second-year UDFA out of Delaware for Staley in 2020. 4th round pick Kenny Young started six and fifth rounder Micah Kiser started 9. So there’s precedent for players like Niemann or former UDFA Amen Ogbongbemiga to make an impact in the Chargers’ defense.
With Murray, Tranquill, and Kyle Van Noy all having missed practices this training camp, there’s a possibility that Niemann is pressed into action at some point this season. Van Noy will also be taking some snaps at EDGE, which could open playing time if even one of Murray or Tranquill can’t go. Niemann is also a game-time decision later today against the Rams. But when he’s healthy, he’s an elite athlete with a well-rounded game that should aid him as a run defender and coverage player.
There’s another reason fans should get familiar with the name Nick Niemann this preseason: the future. Tranquill and Van Noy are free agents after the season, while Murray is entering arguably a make-or-break season after a disappointing first two campaigns. We’ve already seen the Chargers let a productive linebacker walk in free agency in favor of their younger homegrown options when Kyzir White left for Philadelphia. If Tranquill suffers a similar fate, it’s not out of the question that Niemann is in the mix to start next season.
Even if Niemann isn’t a defensive contributor this season or next, he will be the primary special teams standout under new coordinator Ryan Ficken. So, if nothing else, Chargers fans should learn his name to have it in mind when Pro Bowl voting rolls around.