Not every draft pick works out in the NFL and that is especially true of the players the LA Chargers drafted toward the end of Tom Telesco's tenure. The former Chargers GM was fired after a 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2023, paving the way for Joe Hortiz to join the team.
Hortiz's first draft as Chargers GM in 2024 was excellent and made up for a lot of the mistakes that were made in years past. However, even though Telesco has been long gone, his impact on the Chargers is still being felt today.
Telesco's disappointing 2021 draft class are officially free agents this offseason (outside of first-round pick Rashawn Slater, who is due an extension this offseason after the Chargers picked up his fifth-year rookie option).
Asante Samuel Jr. is the most notable member of the 2021 draft class who remains unsigned. Once one of the most promising young corners in the league, Samuel still hasn't found a job two weeks into free agency. Samuel will at least find a job at some point, though, which may not be the case for one of his draft mates.
Chris Rumph II's career may end with Chargers contract ending
Chris Rumph II remains unsigned two weeks into the free-agent period and there has been absolutely no talk about him signing, whether it be the Chargers or an external team. That is not a good sign for someone of his caliber.
The Chargers selected Rumph in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and in classic football fan fashion, all of his upside was being dissected by Chargers fans while ignoring his downside (or relatively low ceiling).
Heck, we are even guilty of this here at Bolt Beat. We compared Rumph's upside to that of Melvin Ingram, who finished his Chargers career with 49 sacks in nine seasons. Rumph has three career sacks since being drafted.
Rumph went from playing 301 total defensive snaps in his sophomore season to playing just 103 defensive snaps in six games in 2023. His injury woes continued into 2024 as Rumph spent the entire season on the IR. With no ties to this Chargers front office, it's not hard to see why the Bolts haven't re-signed him.
If Rumph was a former first-round pick with the exact same numbers he would undoubtedly have interest from other teams. First-round priors go a long way in this league and get people second and third chances.
However, as a fourth-round pick who hardly played, it is hard to see another team selling itself on Rumph's upside. There really isn't any tape out there on him. So unless Brandon Staley wants to bring him to New Orleans, it is hard to pinpoint a team that would even consider Rumph.
All of this may lead to Rumph's NFL career ending at just 26. And the sad part is, he wouldn't be the only one from the Chargers' 2021 class to suffer this fate. Seventh-round pick Larry Rountree is in the UFL. Mark Webb is in the CFL. Larry Rountree's career is on life support as a practice squad player.
Not a good draft class at all for the Chargers. Hopefully, Rumph can land somewhere in the NFL to showcase the potential the Chargers once saw in him.