Say yeah to Seyi

To most pro bound athletes coming out of college, going undrafted could be just the deterrent to push you away from the game. Luckily for the Chargers, we have a keen eye for undrafted talent and have developed many guys into NFL top playmakers. To name off a couple recent studs: Antonio Gates and Mike Tolbert.

That “long shot” mentality is far from that of Seyi Ajirotutu. I hope to see Seyi put together a solid off-season and fall camp and find his way at least into rotation and potentially into a starting position eventually. There are no guarantees that Vincent Jackson will be back this season, and Malcolm Floyd is likely to test the market as a free agent. So where does that leave us if somehow both of those players are gone? Our latest and greatest addition of course is Rookie WR Vincent Brown out of San Diego State University. Brown is 5’11” and does not possess the ideal height to be an outside receiver. He only runs a 4.7 40 yard dash as well, so he will be very reliant upon his clean routes and crisp breaks to get open across the middle. Vincent Brown definitely has play making ability and is great after the catch, but should be used more so as a slot option and possession kind of guy.

We also have on roster Patrick Crayton who put forth a great effort last season and worked his way into the starting rotation after joining the Bolts. Like Brown, Crayton is amazing after the catch and has great field vision. Crayton is a trusty receiver and as long as he can stay healthy could contribute a ton to our high octane pass game.

As always we have the leagues greatest receiving tight end in Antonio Gates. Not only is Gates a phenomenal blocker, but he is sure handed and knows how to get open. He is too big and physical for a DB to cover and too fast for most LB’s. Gates will return to greatness once again and be a league leading receiver now that he is healed and done with an injury plagued 2010.

The player I see making the most improvements and pushing the hardest to get on roster and into rotation is 2nd year Wideout Seyi Ajirotutu. Seyi played a few games for us last season and showed some flashes of brilliance and chemistry in our offense. Unlike most WR’s on roster, Seyi went undrafted and is looking forward to making his career all that it can be. He is over 6’3″ and 210lbs making him a great deep and outside threat. He has a 3 foot vertical leap and has great hands. Look for this guy to shine to his full potential this fall. If Floyd and/or Jackson do end up in Bolt uniform this season, we will be stacked at receiver but it is nice to know that we do have depth on roster in case of their departures.