[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”]
[et_pb_row admin_label=”row”]
[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]
Even with the NFL draft months away, it is never to early to start looking at some of the many prospects that will be future NFL players. There will be more comprehensive profiles completed, and Big Boards assembled as the draft draws closer, especially after the offseason All Star events and NFL Combine are completed, and more tape is studied. However, this preview series will give a brief view at this point to some of some of the popular players we will hear about as potential first or second round picks in April, and if they could be a fit for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kaleb Johnson’s game is power, vision and endurance and he might be the most decisive runner in the class. He excels at finding the crease and hitting it with authority. Combining that with his power and bowling ball style running makes him an extremely good early down and short yardage back that consistently falls forward and moves piles. Even though his game is predicated on power, he is patient, waiting for the play to develop or to set up blockers in the open field. Contact balance is also a plus. I think his best attribute is his endurance. Johnson is a workhorse back that gets better as the game goes on and his style punishes and wears down his opponents. His hands are decent enough right now to be able to be utilized in the screen game and as an outlet receiver.
What Kaleb has in power, he lacks in top end speed. While his turn of foot is good to get to top speed quickly, he lacks that extra gear to consistently pull away for house calls, but he has enough speed to be effective into the second level of the defense for chunk runs. He is not slow by any means, but he lacks the ideal top end speed that other backs have. I think this, along with his limited experience as a route runner, could limit him from every team viewing him as a complete three down back. His style projects best as a downhill runner in gap and power schemes, where he can set up pulling lineman, see the hole, and burst through it with power. As I watched him a bunch in Big 10 games this year, he reminded me of Tyler Allgeier of the Falcons. A physical presence that has enough speed to consistently move the sticks and occasionally pop a run into the secondary.
The running back class looks to be deep this year, so teams will have the luxury of waiting to grab the player that fits them best. Depending on team fit, as of now, I expect Johnson to be selected sometime on day 2.
I think he would be a perfect scheme fit for the Chargers with his ability to excel in power and gap schemes, and his continuous pounding style is the hallmark that Harbaugh and Roman want out of the rushing attack. Johnson was probably a player recruited by Harbaugh and one he got to see up close in the Big 10, so he should be very familiar with him during the draft process. IMO, I think Johnson has enough talent and upside, especially as a receiver, to be a three down back at the NFL level, but he is probably best served as a rotational piece to start, with the upside to become the lead back in short order. While he would be a good fit from a scheme perspective, I do not think his late second-early third round draft slot will align with the team needs/ BPA available at that point in the draft. If he were to slip into mid-day three, I would have no problem selecting him there or even trading up a few spots to secure him.
Hey guys, I have about three more profiles to complete for guys I have watched already. If there are any players or positions you guys would like some info on, let me know so I can dive into them. I was focusing on top 100 players to start, but if there is someone you like that might be a day 3 pick let me know and I will add them to the queue. If not, I will just keep plugging away from the hundred hours or so of games taped on my DVR and cut ups for breakdowns. Thanks.
@evolz3737 I’m happy to read about anyone you find interesting 🤩
A position I have a hard time figuring out for now is OL prospects. Are there any tackles potentially making a move to guard? Any centers to know about?
@bolt_dk @evolz3737 yeah, I know the center class isn’t strong this year but I’d be interested in who’s there and who might be a good fit to move to center.
@bolt_dk Funny you should ask, but there is a bunch of talk of the top tackles in this class being potential fits at OG. Campbell, Banks, Milum, and Williams have all been mentioned as having OG potential. I think the success of Becton in Philly, after being drafted by the Jets as a LT and finding success at RG, as well as other teams moving OT inside like the Chargers did with Pipkins, has made teams think about just adding OL talent and putting them on the field somewhere in the starting 5. At the very least it gives the team depth and options to shuffle players when injuries occur. I have done a small sample of Centers so far, and the class is not that great. The player I liked the best on early scouting was Bryce Foster on Kansas, but he is returning to school, so I will need to dive back into the top prospects like Jake Majors, Jared Wilson, and Seth McLaughlin. One player I have a few games on that caught my eye on first watch was Jonah Monheim for USC. I haven’t heard much buzz about him yet, so maybe the Senior Bowl and combine will shine more light on him, but I can tell you just from first glance, this class is nowhere near last year’s class at C. That might have been the deepest class in a decade at the position.
@evolz3737 Very interesting!
On the topic of RB’s, I’d also like to hear your take on Skattebo at some point – no rush.
I’ve been watching Kaleb Johnson too. I think he’d make a good Gus replacement, probably take our round 3 to get him.
I like the Tyler Algeir comp, makes sense to me. I want a better, more explosive prospect though personally. I’m in favor of spending a higher pick on RB. I’d probably select Judkins at 55 if he’s still available.
Getting a Gus Edwards type of replacement is nice too, but this offense would really hum with a more explosive rusher. We could see in our big wins what a difference a big play run would be. Most of the Chargers best wins were the games where Dobbins broke off a big run. We need more of that.
@blue-beers Depending on the pre draft process, I think Treyvion Henderson could be viewed as the better OSU back. I prefer him over Judkins, but both are definitely an upgrade over anything currently on the roster.
I think Johnson is a Top-50 guy and that the resurgence of the running game in the NFL due to defensive tendencies has seen a rise again in teams valuing top RBs.
If he were available in the 2nd round pick he’d certainly look like a Harbaugh pick.
[/et_pb_row]
[/et_pb_section]
