The 2019 Post Draft Discussion - Rookie Discussion

[EnglishBolt]

Interesting little tidbits here: Remember Kyle Posey the last few years had an unnamed source revealing what was going on in the Chargers draft room while they made their selections?
That same source was talking to BFTB

Jerry Tillery was their last 1st round graded Dlinemen and are very happy they were able to land him, They had a top 10 grade on him, and were targeting help on a defensive player the whole time. Outside of Nick Bosa and Quennin Williams the player they really wanted to fall was ED Oliver. The only 2 offensive tackles they liked were Andre Dillard and Tytus Howard, Jawan Taylors knees worry them and they didn't think Cody Ford was a tackle prospect. Dexter Lawrence wasn't even on their list.

Na'sir Adderly was their targeted guy in the 2nd, and were almost tempted to trade up, but with the teams picking in front of them, they were highly confident he'd land in their lap, Juan Thornhill was their Plan B

Round 3 they had a trade in place to move back and acquire an extra day 3 pick, the player the other team targeted was pick somewhere before the Chargers selected which made that trade fall through, therefore the Chargers decided to stay put. They had 3 offensive tackles who they really liked Pipkens being the top of that list, though the other 2 were not mentioned they did say Yondi Cajuste was not in that group, due to mental character issues that they did not like when they interviewed him. They opted Pipkens in the 3rd knowing he wouldn't make it to them in round 4. One thing the source did say in addressing Pipkens was they are focused on getting him in the gym to get stronger before anything else.

The source did also mention that, the team is comfortable with the offensive line.

Very interesting read. It'll be interesting to know the team that wanted to trade up from our spot in round 3.

I'm surprised by the Cajuste thing considering he was picked up by the Patriots.

[21&500]

Very interesting read. It'll be interesting to know the team that wanted to trade up from our spot in round 3.

I'm surprised by the Cajuste thing considering he was picked up by the Patriots.

Agreed.

-- Aaron Hernandez

[EnglishBolt]

Agreed.

-- Aaron Hernandez

I forgot about him tbh

[Boltjolt]

Very interesting read. It'll be interesting to know the team that wanted to trade up from our spot in round 3.

I'm surprised by the Cajuste thing considering he was picked up by the Patriots.

Not really, they resigned Gordon, Chad Johnson and signed the Bengals RB a while back.

[Panamamike]

I get this sense too. The last two drafts have been filled with athletic players with legit upside. I think this is possible because the roster is already pretty robust. Our D got even faster and we added two key DTs into the mix. OL still seems like the question mark... we still didn't get a blue-chip OT prospect. Pipkins is a dev project that could pay dividends... but more likely he will end up as a backup. A lot still riding on Lamp actually earning his paycheck. He has been the biggest disappointment over the last two drafts. I thought he would be a stud. Also, I have been a proponent in the past of always selecting at least one CB in nearly every draft. Hayward took a giant step back last year, King emerged as a stud slot CB and Williams/Davis did OK. We are pretty thin after those guys. Hoping that an improved push along the interior of the DL leads to less time for our CBs to cover. In the end, health killed us last season... particularly at LB. We added two intriguing guys in the draft along with Davis. If we get some luck on the health side then I think the D could be elite. This is our window.... the Bolts need to make the most of it.

I did not see any blue chip OT prospects in this draft actually. With the way college offences are going, stud day 1 OTs are a rare breed. I also viewed this as a weak CB draft class. I believe Lamp will have a big year for us with a full offseason and his explosiveness back. If our first two picks contribute the way I believe they can, we will be a really good team.

[beachcomber]

Assuming this is accurate information, this is pure gold for me. What I would' give to know these types of gems.
it kinda worries me that there's an unnamed source willing to reveal potentially important information regarding what our scouts look for, but it's damn interesting.
Thanks for posting

second that.... thanx for posting and would def lean in the direction of relatively accurate intel, and....

speaking personally, makes it a bit easier to move on from Dex and Yodny.... ??

[beachcomber]

Bosa is as close to untouchable as any player can be.
I wouldn't trade him for anything short of a patrick mahomes, he's THAT valuable
after Rivers, our most valuable piece moving forward

Fred Dean mistake 2.0

agree to a point, and.... missed about 4 games/year to date, and hasn't started on avg 5 games/year, and....

JR has started 48/48 games, avg 3 INTs/year, w/almost 15 passes defensed each season.

if Ramsey really, really wants to play here, and Bosa is nonplussed (as many people have/had feared).... then what do you do ??

[Cdn Bolt]

Nice CBS article on Jerry Tillery- one of 5 immediate impact rookies. Ranked #7 overall per the author.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2019-nfl-draft-five-biggest-instant-impact-rookies-based-on-talent-fit-and-situation/

[La Costa Boy]

Very interesting read. It'll be interesting to know the team that wanted to trade up from our spot in round 3.

I'm surprised by the Cajuste thing considering he was picked up by the Patriots.

I hear they are interested in Hill too.........

[NoMoreChillies]

Interesting little tidbits here: Remember Kyle Posey the last few years had an unnamed source revealing what was going on in the Chargers draft room while they made their selections?
That same source was talking to BFTB

Jerry Tillery was their last 1st round graded Dlinemen and are very happy they were able to land him, They had a top 10 grade on him, and were targeting help on a defensive player the whole time. Outside of Nick Bosa and Quennin Williams the player they really wanted to fall was ED Oliver. The only 2 offensive tackles they liked were Andre Dillard and Tytus Howard, Jawan Taylors knees worry them and they didn't think Cody Ford was a tackle prospect. Dexter Lawrence wasn't even on their list.

Na'sir Adderly was their targeted guy in the 2nd, and were almost tempted to trade up, but with the teams picking in front of them, they were highly confident he'd land in their lap, Juan Thornhill was their Plan B

Round 3 they had a trade in place to move back and acquire an extra day 3 pick, the player the other team targeted was pick somewhere before the Chargers selected which made that trade fall through, therefore the Chargers decided to stay put. They had 3 offensive tackles who they really liked Pipkens being the top of that list, though the other 2 were not mentioned they did say Yondi Cajuste was not in that group, due to mental character issues that they did not like when they interviewed him. They opted Pipkens in the 3rd knowing he wouldn't make it to them in round 4. One thing the source did say in addressing Pipkens was they are focused on getting him in the gym to get stronger before anything else.

The source did also mention that, the team is comfortable with the offensive line.

awesome read

thx mang

[like54ninjas]

2019 Chargers UDFA Profile: Old Dominion RB Jeremy Cox

2
By Michael Peterson@ZoneTracks May 5, 2019, 8:00am PDT
SHARE Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images
Tom Telesco and the Chargers scouting staff have done outstanding jobs of finding value in late round picks and UDFAs over the last few drafts.

Defensive backs like Michael Davis and Brandon Facyson were both undrafted finds. Last year's top offensive tackle back-up behind Russell Okung and Sam Tevi was Trent Scott, an undrafted lineman from HBCU Grambling State.

Year in and year out, this team comes away from the offseason with a diamond in the rough. But unlike any other position, this team has a knack for finding contributors at running back.

Two years ago, Telesco found a Division II running back out of Western State University by the name of Austin Ekeler. Fast forward to today and he is now the team's backup behind Melvin Gordon while still being one of the most dynamic backs in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Ekeler ended up the sixth-highest rated running back in 2018.

In last year's draft, the Chargers took Justin Jackson with their seventh-round selection, just a handful spots above the annual "Mr. Irrelevant" pick. They also found another small-school prospect in Detrez Newsome out of Western Carolina University who ended his career as the school leader in yards from scrimmage.

Both running backs played significant snaps in at least a single game at some point this past season. When Gordon and Ekeler were both out due to injury, Jackson was able to start and carry the load in the comeback win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Newsome made the most of his opportunities against the Kansas City Chiefs during their first win at Arrowhead in over five years.

Long story short, don't count out any running back that the Chargers draft or sign.

This year may just be the third one in a row that the Chargers have found a back worth keeping around in Old Dominion's Jeremy Cox.

At 6-0 and 223 pounds, Cox would immediately be the largest back on the roster. With 28 starts across his four years at ODU, Cox has the experience Lynn covets in his players. However, due to some injuries and the Monarchs preffering a rotation at running back during his last two years, Cox's stats are a little more up-and-down for a prospect who played in over 40 games. Here are his rushing and receiving numbers from his career:

2015 (10 games/4 starts): 72 carries - 369 yards - 1 TD / 20 receptions - 99 yards

2016 (12 games/8 starts): 119 carries - 732 yards - 13 TDs / 11 receptions - 118 yards - 1 TD

2017 (9 games/9 starts): 147 carries - 621 yards - 4 TDs / 20 catches - 176 yards

2018 (9 games/7 starts): 103 carries - 453 yards - 5 TDs / 24 receptions - 139 yards

His most prolific year was obviously in 2016 when he scored 14 total touchdowns and set a career-high with 5.8 yards per carry. The following season in 2017, he was right on his way to setting a career-high in rushing yardage until he suffered a season-ending injury against UNC-Charlotte. In his final year of eligibility, Cox split time in the backfield with two other backs while also battling some injuries, holding him to just nine games.

Even with some concerning production, Cox's athletic profile surely kept teams interested.
His 4.42 forty is nothing to scoff at for a back weighing 220+. Add in a 39-inch vertical jump, a 4.19 shuttle, and 6.9 3-cone and you've got yourself a stout back who knows how to play with some wiggle.

His best game in 2018 came against the toughest opponent when the 0-3 Monarchs hosted the #13-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. Cox toted the rock 20 times for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His elite explosion numbers are apparent on tape as he sparked the ODU offense with several big runs on the night.
The most frustrating thing for evaluators is finding a big, physically-imposing running back who doesn't play like he is 220-230 pounds. Thankfully for Cox, he is well-aware of his size and knows how to utilize it in certain moments.

In the play below, Cox catches a check-down route about a yard short of the sticks. Even though he gets stuck by the linebacker, Cox knows how to use some centrifugal force to swing himself around and over the marker to move the chains.
Nothing gets football fans more excited (apart from touchdowns) than when players are able to turn nothing into something. With running backs, the ability to find space and extra yardage when faced with a wall of defenders is a big-time trait. It shows scouts and coaches that you aren't content with getting nowhere and will fight tooth-and-nail for just an extra yard.

Cox keeps his lower-body churning and somehow finds four yards on a 2nd-and-5 after he is met by a linebacker at the line of scrimmage:
Cox is more of a complete running back than his career stats let on and he should get an extremely close look by the coaching staff over the next few months. If it was any other year, I might say that he has one of the highest chances to make the 53. Unfortunately for Cox, he got signed by a team with one of the best backfield situations in the NFL.

He certainly has a chance to beat out Troymaine Pope for a potential spot on the practice squad but I'm not so sure he will be able to leapfrog Detrez Newsome as the team's final running back, should they choose to keep four on the roster.

Regardless, Cox has the athleticism and skill set that you don't just let slip away without much effort to retain him. Put him down as the UDFA that i'm most excited to watch once preseason exhibitions roll around.

[Steve]

The thing that stands out when I watch the only set of highlights I could find of Cox, is that he seems to lose a lot of speed during his cuts. He is fine going straight ahead, but when he cuts, he just looks like he is standing still. It's only highlights from one game, but it is worth noting.

He is not a horrible runner, and he has good speed, but Newsome and Jackson both do a great job of getting yardage, and I am not sure NFL LB are going to let Cox run through them if they have the time to set their feet and wrap up on the tackles.

That may be something he can overcome. Given his size and athletic ability, we should give him a good long look. It would be nice to add a biggish RB or maybe give him a look at FB/Hback and see if we can get him the ball in space. A 4.42 40, the other times, he has some speed if we can find a way to use it. Also, if we are looking for a ST guy to replace Dzubnar, why not a physical RB, instead of a LB, if the RB has some upside as a RB or Hback? Anyway, it would be worth a look in TC. I like Jackson and Newsome, but we are at the point where we need to find ways to make the roster better anyway we can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc0rS594CZI