The Los Angeles Chargers selected safety Derwin James from Florida State with the No. 17 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
James was widely considered a top 10 talent and was easily the best available player on the board when he fell into the Chargers lap at No. 17.
At 6'2", 215 pounds, James is an athletic freak with an enormous wing span, breackneck speed and incredible leaping ability.
General Manager Tom Telesco earlier in the week assigned scouts and coaches to study the teams roster to see what holes needed to be filled in this years draft.
“We’ll go through different scenarios of where guys would go and what we would do because draft day, you can’t have those discussions. It’s hard enough making decisions with the clock ticking down in front of you,” Telesco said. “You can’t have those long discussions at this point. You have to have that decided. There will be certain trigger points in a round depending on who is there where we might start talking about trading up or trading back or stand pat.”
James was also eyed heavily by defensive coordinator Gus Bradley throughout the process. He could be used in a number of capacities to attack offenses in the league. He's extremely versatile, athletic, that provides a significant boost to that secondary.
As a true safety his athleticism will shine. Bradley could also put him down into the box and his size will prove him worthy. Despite his left knee meniscus and wound up playing in only two games in 2016 season. While at Florida State, he had 186 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks in just 26 games. The Bolts got a steal with James who literally fell in their laps, as he was projected to be a top 10 pick.
In James, not only do the Chargers get a leader, but a disciplined player in the film room and displays the ability to learn quickly.
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Derwin James on what he learned from Jaylen Ramsey #Chargers pic.twitter.com/fmz5LwqSc0— NICK HAMILTON (@NickHamiltonLA) April 27, 2018
