3. The LA Chargers 2021 draft class
It is way too early to declare that the LA Chargers had a fantastic 2021 NFL Draft. We have to not only see the rookies play in games that matter, but put together an entire season of promising results.
Then we can start talking about how good the draft class was and even then it is not a guarantee that it will go down that way. Realistically, it takes at least four years to properly judge a draft class from top to bottom, especially with late bloomers.
That being said, it is hard to not be very excited about the draft class that Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley put together in 2021. There are early signs that indicate whether a draft class will be good or not and the Chargers have all the signs.
Those signs were on full display on Saturday.
Rashawn Slater looked fantastic in pass protection and there may not be as big of rookie hiccups as expected. Asante Samuel Jr. was great in coverage, Josh Palmer is emerging as a legitimate threat and is proving me wrong and Larry Rountree had the biggest day offensively with the only touchdown.
Tre' McKitty only played 22% of the snaps and did not get involved in the passing game but the Chargers can afford him to be a work in progress. Brenden Jaimes played the second-most snaps and looked pretty good.
Chris Rumph put on some muscle and might be solid earlier than we expected and Nick Niemann was solid out there.
Of course, they were playing other backups and chances are guys like Niemann and Rumph won't play that much in their rookie season. However, the signs we are seeing are extremely promising.