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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 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.
Jack Sawyer is the definition of a blue collar, high motor player. His relentless effort and sheer will to win every rep is his calling card to success. Like a volume shooter in the NBA, he compiles stats by relentlessly chasing down every play and eventually creating the big one. If you had to define one physical attribute to his game, it would be power. He has a quick first step that he can convert to power with an effective bull rush and decent swipe technique. He does have a chop over in his bag, that he is able to use effectively after setting up the defender with relentless bull rushes. With his size and power though, his biggest value to a defense is as an Edge defender. Sawyer does have enough athleticism and power to add some pass rush, but he lacks the quick twitch and nimbleness to be a real threat around the edge. His ability to anchor and shed blocks makes him a very good run defender either with his hand in the dirt or up on his feet. Overall, he is not elite at anything except maybe power, but he is a fundamentally sound and cerebral player, that has a way of using his relentless motor to impact games.
The biggest knock in his game is his true lack of explosiveness that elite pass rush ends exhibit. He also has a habit of relying on his power to absorb blocks, which can let the linemen get into his chest and wall him off easily. This tactic is fine when setting the edge, but he can sometimes be taken out on runs to the interior and is forced to try and make a play in pursuit instead of at the LOS. Teams have had some success running right at him instead of letting him operate at an angle off the edge.
I have seen his game compared to Kwity Paye, but the more I watched him I saw a more athletic, better pass rushing version of Jarret Johnson. A very solid defender who uses power to set the edge but has enough get-off and recognition to make plays behind the LOS and can add some occasional pass rush.
Any team that views Sawyer as exclusively an Edge setter will not value him as a first round player, but he is more than that. His real value to a team is as a complete Edge defender, with the ability to continue to grow as a pass rusher. He would be a great fit on a team playing opposite an explosive pass rusher. His standout play in the CFP and his impressive last two seasons at OSU could land him in round one, but team need and scheme will be a big factor. Before any pre-draft season events are completed that could skew his stock, I think Sawyer gets drafted somewhere between picks 20 and 40.
While he is a fantastic, Harbaugh type player, I do not think he fits on the Chargers. With the team possibly losing out on Mack and/or Bosa, the Edge room needs more of a pure pass rush presence, especially with Tuli Tuipulotu filling the edge setting role on the defense. If the Chargers were going to invest in Edge in the first round, I would prefer more of a pass rush specialist like James Pearce, Jalon Walker or Abdul Carter.
Hey Erick – Great stuff. Trying to work my way through these over my morning coffee.
When you say Sawyer is not a fit, why do you think that? I thought the Minter defense put more edge-setting/run stopping responsibilities on the edge? In that system, wouldn’t a “pure” pass rusher be less valuable? Being very good at both make both Mack and (healthy) Bosa valuable in the Minter defense.
Speaking of Joey, I know everyone is writing the dude off and I agree that the Chargers cannot let him play 2025 under his current contract. However, Joey played through injury in 2024. While his play slipped, he was mostly available and steadily improved as his health got better. If (and this is a big question) Ben Herbert can make Joey harder to break and Joey can play at the level he played in week 1, that solves a lot of defensive problems for the Chargers. A healthy, available Bosa adds an elite edge to the Chargers defense. I would not be so quick to kick that to the curb.
I’m hoping that Joey & Kahlil can meet with Jim & Joe and work something out for the both of them to come back on 2 year deals, with Joey’s contract laden with incentivies.
@kevdiego Thanks Kev. I responded to Tau’s post on BFTB regarding Joey with the same sentiment. If there was a way to get him to take another pay cut or a restructure that keeps him around at a more palatable price, I would be open to that. After all, if he walks as a FA next year, instead of being cut, and pending his next contract, there is a real possibility he could return a 3rd or most likely 4th Rd comp pick for 2026 draft. IMO, this team is really 2 off seasons away from having the roster to where it needs to be for true contention, so that 2026 comp pick could be vital to adding the finishing type pieces (RB, WR, S) to the roster. I know the easiest thing to do from a cap perspective is to cut him, but maybe it was the Harbaugh effect, or the fact that he had the opportunity to play on a legit wining team, but he gutted out playing mostly the whole season. In years past this would have been a 6-10 week injury where the fans are clamoring to add him back in week 14 for a playoff push. If you listen to him speak of the injury, apparently it was bad enough that just getting out of bed and walking was excruciating at first. The first few weeks of the season, before he got dinged up, he looked fantastic and he played well in the playoff game. With Hortiz loving comp picks, maybe there’s a way to make it work out with Joey (pay cut and relegate to Pass Rush specialist?) so he can generate one.
As far as Sawyer, the reason I do not think he would be a good fit is because if Mack comes back, he’s 34. He’s not going to improve as an Edge player. His biggest value to the team IMO, is as a team leader and locker room presence. He is still a decent Edge player, but the days of him being talked about in the same class as Watt, Garrett, Hutchinson etc.. are gone. Same with Joey to a degree, but I think he still needs to be accounted for as a pass rusher off the edge. If they are both gone or only one comes back, let’s say for the sake of argument it’s Mack, where is the bona fide edge pass rush coming from? Dupree is a situational player at BEST, and Tuli is more of an Edge setter with some pass rush potential/chops. If Minter wants to continue to predominantly play a two high shell, it’s hard to blitz without exposing large areas underneath and then walking players up to the line and playing single high is a tell tale sign of a blitz. So, in order to play this scheme, it is imperative to get pressure with the front four which is why if we need to replace Joey or Khalil I feel it needs to be done with a player who is more of a pure pass rush presence than an overall Edge setting defender. Tuli already fits that role for us. Don’t get me wrong, if Sawyer was the selection I wouldn’t be mad because his game already translates to the NFL from a power and motor perspective, I would just prefer another approach. Maybe this staff sees Tuli’s 8.5 sacks as a predecessor to more of a pass rush role so adding Sawyer replaces him with another young, Edge setting defender?
At the end of the day, free agency and the return of Bosa and/or Mack will determine the teams approach in Rd1. As of now, I still think Edge is the way to go, because even if both, either or neither of them return, the team needs to inject some top young talent to the position to transition away from them and into the next phase of the unit.
There isn’t a chance that Adbul Carter is available to us.
I think Josiah Stewart from UM is the guy to look at for us because he does have those explosive traits but I agree that Sawyer is likely to be a solid Edge defender next level even if not a spectacular one.
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