Los Angeles Chargers 2017 rookie report card: Sam Tevi

Offensive lineman Sam Tevi was taken with the 190th pick of the 2017 NFL draft. Now, let’s take a look back at his rookie season.

Tevi didn’t have much hype surrounding him coming out of college and entering the draft. He had been a productive player at Utah and put up decent numbers at the scouting combine. The Chargers decided to use their sixth-round pick on him in order to add depth along the offensive line.

Shortly after the draft, we had a chance to speak with Tevi in this interview. When asked about the opportunity to block for Philip Rivers, Tevi had this to say to our Matt Pagels.

“Philip Rivers is one of (my) favorite QBs, and to know that I’ll hopefully get to block for him is one of the best things ever. I can’t wait to block for him, but more importantly, get to know him as a person and teammate.”

It didn’t seem like he would get that opportunity as rookie. With the team also selecting Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney, it seemed that Tevi would be nothing more than a practice squad player this past season.

But he ended up appearing in 14 games as rookie, including a start at left tackle in Week 16 against the New York Jets. Not only did Tevi end up blocking for Rivers, he ended up being responsible for his blind side in that game as he filled in for an injured Russell Okung.

He put forth a solid effort in that game, which was a must-win for the Chargers.

Sam Tevi shows off his athleticism with an impressive block to help spring Melvin Gordon.

Bolts at midfield.

— Ricky Henne (@ChargersRHenne) December 24, 2017

Sam Tevi deserves a game ball in my opinion. Not saying he was perfect, but the Jets threw the kitchen sink at him and he acquitted himself quite well. Got better as the game went on and made some key blocks in the run game. Looked good at second level.

— The Lightning Round Podcast (@Lightning_Round) December 26, 2017

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Tevi will likely never be anything more than a role player off the Chargers’ bench, but all of the successful NFL teams have those players. Injuries happen across the offensive line all the time and if a team has a player it can turn to in those situations, it’s a huge plus.

Tevi could be that player for years to come.

Though he didn’t do anything that jumped off the screen this season, he did the job he was asked to do. The Chargers will likely look to bring in more help for the offensive line this offseason, help that could push Tevi further down the depth chart. That could leave him on the outside looking in next season, but judging him on his rookie season only, he did fairly well.

Grade: B-