Everybody has a type. With the on-field portion of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine set to start on Thursday, we’re taking a look at the Chargers’ types.
We start with head coach Brandon Staley, whose NFL career dates back to 2017 as the Bears’ outside linebackers coach. With additional stints with Denver in 2019 and the Rams in 2020, we have six drafts’ worth of intel when it comes to Staley.
Wide Receivers
Staley’s teams have drafted five wide receivers since he entered the NFL: Anthony Miller and Javon Wims in 2018, Juwann Winfree in 2019, Van Jefferson in 2020, and Josh Palmer in 2021. Jefferson did not test due to a foot injury, which leaves us with a sample size of four. Of those four, none ran faster than 4.5 seconds in the 40 yard dash, but all ran the three cone drill in 7 seconds or less. The three that ran the shuttle drill ran nearly identical times of 4.24 (Palmer), 4.25 (Winfree), and 4.26 (Miller). They also jumped at least 33 inches in the vertical jump and the three that jumped hit at least 10 feet, 4 inches in the broad jump.
Now, this isn’t to say that Staley and the Chargers will explicitly avoid any receivers that run 4.4 or faster, especially given the state of the offense heading into 2023. But the pattern of slower receivers with average testing numbers and some other, less quantifiable standout trait has followed Staley at every stop. Don’t hold your breath for a course correction now.
Tight End
Staley-coached teams have drafted four tight ends: Adam Shaheen in 2017, Noah Fant in 2019, Brycen Hopkins in 2020, and Tre’ McKitty in 2021.
The only real similarity between these four is a bench press number of at least 20. McKitty only bench pressed during his pre-draft workouts, so any evaluation of the tight end position beyond that requires extrapolating from Staley’s tenure as a defensive coach, where his input on offensive draft choices was minimal.
Still, I think the case study of Fant is an interesting one. Denver’s 2019 first rounder could be a blueprint of sorts for a potential Chargers first round pick at the position in April. The former Hawkeye ran a 4.50 40 yard dash, jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical and 10 feet, 7 inches in the broad, ran a 6.81 3 cone and 4.22 shuttle, and bench pressed 225 pounds 20 times. All that was good for a Relative Athletic score of 9.89, meaning Fant is a 98.9% athlete at the position.
Guard
Including Jamaree Salyer, who was drafted to play guard before being pressed into duty at left tackle in 2022, Staley-led teams have drafted seven guards.
Of those seven, only 2021 fifth round pick Brenden Jaimes has arms shorter than 33.5 inches. Jaimes was drafted as a potential center in addition to his upside at guard, so I’m willing to say that 33.5 is a rough cutoff for Staley. A wingspan of about 80 inches also seems to be a necessity. Recently, Staley’s teams have also skewed towards stronger players: Zion Johnson, Salyer, Jaimes, and 2020 seventh rounder Tremayne Anchrum all benched at least 26 reps of 225 lbs.
Edge defender
There are two distinct weight profiles among the four pass rushers Staley’s teams have brought in during his NFL tenure: Chris Rumph and Justin Hollins were under 250 lbs, while Terrell Lewis and Kylie Fitts were 262 and 263, respectively.
What unites this four players is arm length, specifically an arm length of over 33 inches. Staley-drafted pass rushers also have jumped at least 9 feet, 9 inches in the broad jump, and both Hollins and Lewis jumped at least 36.5 inches in the vertical.
Notably, we already have arm length measurements for players that attended either the Shrine or Senior Bowls earlier in the month. I’d keep an eye on the way players like Isaiah Foskey, Derick Hall, and Will McDonald jump this week.
Cornerback
Staley has actually only seen three corners drafted, all three coming in the past two seasons as part of the Chargers.
Asante Samuel Jr., Ja’Sir Taylor, and Deane Leonard are all sub-200 lbs with arms somewhere in the 30 inch range and 4.4 speed. Right away, this tells you that Staley values movement skills over physicality in his draft philosophy at the position. There are no 6’2″, 200 lbs corners with 33 inch arms in his history like you’d expect from a team like Seattle, for example. Staley corners jump at least 33 inches in the vertical, roughly 10 feet in the broad, and run the shuttle in 4.25 seconds or less.
If you’re expecting more depth at corner to come in this year’s draft, I’d advise shying away from the big, physical corners and looking at someone like Louisville’s Kei’Trel Clark, who weighed 179 lbs at the Shrine Bowl in January and measured with arms a quarter inch shy of 30 inches.
