The LA Chargers came up with a 13-6 win over the Rams in their first preseason game at SoFi Stadium. It wasn't the cleanest game by any means with a few killer penalties in particular, but these three Bolts really impressed me on Saturday.
The 3 LA Chargers who impressed the most against the LA Rams:
RB Larry Rountree III
I wasn't particularly high on the selection of Missouri back Larry Rountree in the sixth round of the 2021 Chargers Draft. On tape, he was a bit of a one-speed downhill back, despite some occasionally nice cuts.
Against the Rams last night, we saw some of the reasons why the Chargers were so high on Rountree:
Larry Rountree III too quick ⚡️ @chargers
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 15, 2021
?: #LACvsLAR on NFL Network (or check your local listings) pic.twitter.com/mIbWFcwcRJ
Rountree managed to get to the outside fairly quickly and then executed a devastating cut to avoid getting tackled by safety Paris Ford. East-West speed isn't really what I would consider Rountree's strength, but he doesn't need a whole lot of lateral quickness if he can get around tackles like that. This specific run also came on a crucial 4th down play from the drive that would eventually result in Darius Bradwell's touchdown.
The former Mizzou bell-cow running back finished the night with eight rushing attempts for 63 yards. On the team's final offensive drive, he finished strong with a 24-yard run.
I still think the Chargers ultimately will carry four running backs, but Rountree's coming out party puts a little bit more pressure on second-year running back Joshua Kelley.