Los Angeles Chargers undrafted rookie spotlight: Tanner Volson

Fans of the Los Angeles Chargers know that the team drafted former North Dakota State quarterback Easton Stick, but many are unaware that the team also snagged his center.

Stick wasn’t the only Bison to join the Chargers this offseason as Tanner Volson also came in following the draft as a free agent. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound center will hope to continue playing on the same team as Stick.

Born in Drake, North Dakota, Volson played 9-man football in high school and then went to an FCS school for college. Coming to the bright lights of Los Angeles has to be a bit of a culture shock for the small-town kid, but he cites his work ethic as his best personal trait and that should carry over to the next level. It’s often about who wants it more.

However, if you’re going to come from an FCS school, it might as well be the top program in the country. The Bison have won seven of the last eight FCS national championships and Volson was part of three of those teams.

Volson comes from a winning tradition and that experience should help him in his quest to continue his NFL playing career. He recently told Draft Diamonds that if he wasn’t going to be a football player, he’d be a construction manager. He’s hoping the construction job can be held off at least for awhile.

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Chance to make final roster (1-10 scale): 2

Remember when the Chargers needed a center, like, badly? A smart, hard-working player such as Volson would have been a welcome addition at that time, but right now, it’s a steady position for the Bolts. Mike Pouncey will be the starter and last year’s fifth-round pick, Scott Quessenberry, should be next in line.

That leaves Volson fighting for a spot as a rotational lineman and Tom Telesco likes those guys to be able to line up pretty much anywhere. There are likely several better options on the roster than Volson in that department, so his best bet is to land on the practice squad or show enough to where another team snatches him after he gets cut by the Chargers.

Perhaps his best chance to hang around L.A. will be his relationship with Stick. No one can talk up a center better than his quarterback.