Taken by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Derwin James quickly established himself as one of the top safeties in the league, earning First-Team All-Pro honors as a rookie after recording 105 total tackles, four tackles for loss, six QB hits, 3.5 sacks, 13 passes defended, and three interceptions.
Many thought the Florida State alum deserved to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he finished a close second to Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard, who's no longer in the league, by the way.
The two years following his rookie campaign obviously didn't go quite as well for James. In 2019, a stress fracture in his right foot landed him on injured reserve to start the season, and he ultimately appeared in just five games.
He then missed the entire 2020 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus, naturally leading many to believe he was merely a one-hit wonder.
Despite the injuries, however, the Chargers opted to pick up the fifth-year option on James' contract ahead of the 2021 season, and he rewarded their faith, earning a second Pro Bowl selection and taking third in the Comeback Player of the Year voting.
And in the three years since, he's continued to be one of the best and most consistent players at his position, which is why James ranked sixth among all safeties in a recent ESPN survey that featured votes from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.
As one would expect, there were plenty of nice things said about him. That said, though, there was one quote that went the other way that genuinely stood out:
"People talked about him like he was Ed Reed early in his career, and I'd say while he's always been a good player, I've never really seen him as an elite guy year to year," a veteran AFC personnel staffer said. "Average athletic tools, choosy tackler."
I'm sorry, what?
Look, I know we're all about the Bolts here, but even if you don't root for the Chargers in any way, shape, or form, there's no getting around the fact that this statement is completely absurd.
Derwin James set a career high in tackles in the one full season in which he didn't make the Pro Bowl
As Ed Reed is one of the greatest safeties ever to play the game of football, living up to a comparison like that would be nearly impossible for anyone. So, that's really not even fair. But that's not even the worst part of the statement.
Average athletic tools? Did this anonymous AFC staffer take the survey after joining Aaron Rodgers on one of his ayahuasca trips, by any chance? So, you're telling me that a guy who can play both safety positions, slot corner, and even linebacker at times is merely an average athlete? Yeah, that sounds plausible.
Can James run the 4.47-second 40 he ran at the NFL Scouting Combine back in the day? With all of the issues he's had with his legs, probably not. But we're betting he could get close. His strength is off the charts, and his elite side-to-side agility and explosiveness are evident to anyone who has ever watched him play a single down.
And maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure how a "choosy tackler" repeatedly hits triple digits in that category on a year-to-year basis. Okay, so James only had 93 a season ago, but that's the only time he's failed to hit 100 in the five seasons in which he's been healthy.
In those five seasons, he's earned four Pro Bowl selections and made three All-Pro teams, so that kinda knocks out the argument that he's not elite from year to year. The only season of the five that he didn't earn either a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nod was in 2023, which just happens to be the season he set a career high in tackles, racking up 125. Must've chosen all the right ones to make, I guess.