Forrest Lamp will be Chargers’ best rookie in 2017

For the second year in a row, the Los Angeles Chargers appear to have a solid rookie class in place. Fans must thank much-maligned general manager Tom Telesco for that.

Naturally, a team’s first-round selection always gets the most attention, but they aren’t always the best pick in a team’s draft class, at least not right out of the gate.

That already seems to be the case in Los Angeles, as wide receiver Mike Williams is nursing a back injury before any real physical practices have even started. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Forrest Lamp is poised to prove he was one of the steals of the entire draft.

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Lamp played his college ball at Western Kentucky and maybe that is why teams let him slide to the second round. Had he played at Alabama or Clemson, he would have come off the board much earlier than he did.

You can make a lot of arguments regarding Lamp and his draft status. You can argue that he was the best offensive lineman in the entire draft. Heck, you can argue that the Chargers would have been justified at selecting him at No. 7 overall. So imagine the team’s delight when he was still on the board at No. 38.

The most productive pass blocking offensive tackle in the nation in 2016, Forrest Lamp should make a #RookieImpact for the Chargers. pic.twitter.com/8vcT5RtCJI

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 22, 2017

Looking at the rest of the team’s draft class, Dan Feeney should be a nice rotational lineman this season while both Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King will improve the secondary and make an impact as a rookies, particularly King. But Lamp should stand out in a big way this season.

Lamp is a versatile, athletic player who the Bolts could line up just about anywhere this season. That’s good for a team that had one of the league’s worst offensive lines in football over the course of the last few seasons.

All of the other teams that took a lineman not named Lamp while he was still on the board (Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars), may end up regretting their decisions.

Lamp is going to be a bright light, pun intended.