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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Gavino Borquez

Defensive standouts for Chargers from East-West Shrine Bowl: Day 1

Practices for the East-West Shrine Bowl kicked off on Saturday in Frisco, TX, marking the start of NFL draft season for many.

Four Chargers representatives were spotted in attendance, as well as our team at Chargers Wire.

Here’s who stood out on the defensive side of the ball on the first day of practices.

EDGE Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Charlotte

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Okie-Anoma, a former five-star recruit, played at Alabama, Michigan among three other schools, before finishing his college career at Charlotte. He caught my eye during one-on-ones, first winning on an inside spin move and following it up with a bullrush that put the offensive tackle on the ground.

Okie-Anoma had 5.5 sacks this past season and registered 4.5 sacks with the Wolverines in 2022. He is a player with untapped potential who could be a target for the Chargers in the late rounds, given the need for more pass rushers and his familiarity with Jim Harbaugh.

DT Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa

David Purdy/Getty Images

Chargers national crosschecker James McPherson was front and center for the East team one-on-one drills, where Boyd raised eyebrows. The 6-foot-2 and 320-pound defensive tackle had his way with the blockers he went against, showcasing the overall strength and explosiveness to get into the backfield, including a nice push-pull move against one of the top offensive linemen here at the Shrine Bowl.

 

CB Renardo Green, Florida State

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

I highlighted Green in my players to watch article because he was one of the best that I watched ahead of the week, and his dominance during the regular season carried over to the practice field. Known for his physical style of play, Green showcased the plus man coverage skills, fluid hips and clean footwork to stick with receivers throughout the route. Given the need for more corners, Green would be a nice addition to the positional room.

LB Steele Chambers, Ohio State

The Chargers will be looking to add to the linebacker room and one thing that they didn’t have from players at the position this past season was good coverage skills. Chambers showed some good stuff in that department, breaking up a pass intended for RB Frank Gore Jr. He also showed the ability to read, react, and get downhill to the ball carrier in the run game.

DT Myles Murphy, North Carolina

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Most of my attention was directed toward the trenches today, and another player who dominated was Murphy. Murphy won with finesse, flashing a swipe-chop move to get into the backfield. He also demonstrated his strength, walking OL CJ Hanson back into the quarterback’s lap. He posted 15 tackles for loss, six sacks, and 35 QB pressures over the past three seasons.

 

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