The Los Angeles Chargers certainly don't have much to be proud about exiting their Week 2 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. They were sloppy on both sides of the ball, and they'll now enter the hardest stretch of their schedule with an 0-2 record.
It's frankly hard to imagine how things could be worse at this point. The campaign certainly isn't over, but their playoff hopes have already taken a pair of major hits in these early games.
Paradoxically, though, when you look at the rookies on an individual basis, many had promising performances that showed them continuing to build on whatever momentum they gained in Week 1. This certainly doesn't provide a picture of how this Chargers team has played as a whole. But if there are any silver linings from this game, it's worth seeking them out.
Let's check in on Los Angeles' drafted rookies after the first two games of their NFL careers.
Chargers rookies looked solid in a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Raiders
Akheem Mesidor, OLB
Mesidor (and the pass rush as a whole) weren't super active in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Chris O'Leary struggled to dial up the same effective pressure packages that were a hallmark of Jesse Minter's defense. Although they lost in Week 2, things looked pretty different along the defensive line—especially for Mesidor.
The Miami product finished the day with four pressures, two sacks, and one tackle, and both Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack benefitted from another productive presence off the edge. This may be an up and down rookie campaign for Mesidor in terms of production, but he showed some promising signs in Week 2.
Verdict: Stock Up
Jake Slaughter, C
The offensive as line as a whole, for once, doesn't necessarily deserve a large share of the blame for the way things went on Sunday. Even with both Cole Strange and Kayode Awosika missing snaps on the interior, Herbert was sacked just three times over the course of the game, and the offensive line was largely able to make room for the run.
Slaughter, especially, looked much more confident in his second NFL appearance at center. He allowed two pressures on 34 pass-blocking snaps (compared to zero last week), but he looked much more physical in the run game and for the most part put his anchor on display. We're still far from feeling solid about this offense, but Slaughter should continue to progress as the season goes on.
Verdict: Stock Up
Brenen Thompson, WR
Thomspon was a relatively quiet riser in Week 2. After seeing zero targets on nine total snaps in Week 1, McDaniel finally found space for him in the course of the offense with KeAndre Lambert-Smith out and Ladd McConkey limited.
Granted, he only caught one of his three targets and had a pretty notable drop on a crossing route that otherwise would've been a first down. But we got a glimpse of how McDaniel might try to utilize Thompson in this offense over the course of the season, and considering his speed and downfield abilities, that's a promising sign.
Verdict: Stock Up
Travis Burke, OT
Burke didn't play this week, and the hope is that we likely won't need to see him play at all this season. But Trey Pipkins III was out for this game, and if either Joe Alt or Rashawn Slater went down, Burke was likely the first man in. If Pipkins misses time with injury or continues to struggle, the Chargers' confidence in Burke as an immediately viable NFL lineman could be put to the test.
Verdict: Hold Steady
Genesis Smith, S
With Elijah Molden out, the Chargers' safety rotation of Smith, Tony Jefferson, and RJ Mickens was going to need to step up. They didn't, and Smith's only notable moment of the day was a blown coverage on the deep touchdown that helped put the Raiders ahead in the first half.
Apart from that, Smith was essentially a non-factor in the defense—even on an elevated snap share of 57.1%. Part of this evaluation is a reflection of the performance of the defense as a whole, but the Chargers need more out of Smith if they're going to trust him as a consistent starting-caliber safety this season.
Verdict: Stock Down
Nick Barrett, DT
The defensive line as a whole looked much better this week, and Barrett was a part of that rotation. He saw 14 defensive snaps compared to the eight he saw in Week 1, posting one tackle and one pressure while improving his metrics across the board.
It's still unclear how large of a role he'll have as long as everyone's healthy along that interior, but he's accomplished exaclty what he needs to so far to stick in the rotation.
Verdict: Stock Up
Logan Taylor & Alex Harkey, OT/G
Both Taylor and Harkey were inactive again in Week 2, and the Chargers will have a decision to make when Branson Taylor returns from the IR. Which of these players do they feel comfortable keeping on the 53-man roster, or are both headed off to the practice squad?
The "hold steady" here is essentially a sign of non-movement. Neither of these pieces will ideally see snaps this season, and the Chargers' decision to keep them inactive through two weeks is indicative of that.
Maybe things change if both Pipkins and Awosika are forced to miss next week's game, but it still feels unlikely.
Verdict: Hold Steady
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