The Los Angeles Chargers have no less than 10 players that can play cornerback and perhaps as many as 12. Four of those guys were brought in as undrafted free agents.
The Chargers possess one of the league’s best secondaries and the team seems committed to making sure it has enough depth to continue being one of the most complete defensive backfields.
One of the four cornerbacks brought in as an undrafted free agent was Brandon Facyson, a long, 6-2 defensive back who many analysts felt would be drafted.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had a grade between the fifth and sixth rounds on him.
Facyson played in 11 games as a freshman for the Hokies, showing the team was confident in his abilities right away. In total, he played in 51 games while at the school.
He had five interceptions during his freshman season and looked well on his way to a terrific college career. A series of leg injuries slowed him down and likely hurt his draft stock in the long run, but he still finished his college career with 39 pass deflections, the most in Virginia Tech school history.
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He has the length that teams at the professional level desire and he posted a 4.53 40-yard dash at the scouting combine. Those are the kinds of traits that will help a guy make an NFL roster, and Facyson will have a chance to turn some heads this summer.
In addition to his solid coverage skills, Facyson is a good tackler and was used in a variety of defensive sets at Virginia Tech, making him a versatile defender for the Bolts.
Here’s some clips from two games Facyson played during the 2016 season.
My Take
Facyson is an intriguing talent, but it’s obviously going to be hard for any undrafted cornerback to make this roster. The Chargers are just loaded at the position.
With that being said, Facyson may be the best of the 21 undrafted players the Chargers signed and I think he’s a shoe-in to be placed on the team’s practice squad. He’ll have a chance to gain more experience there and could make a real push to make the 53-man roster next year.