The Chargers have done an excellent job of bringing in superior talent through the draft, along with developing players into studs in a short period of time.
Pro Football Focus released its annual list of the top 25 NFL players under age 25, and two Chargers were among the group: defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James.
Bosa, 23, is entering his fourth season after the Bolts took him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He has 28.5 sacks in 35 career games but is coming off a season in which he missed the first seven weeks because of a foot injury.
Even though the former Ohio State product missed some time last season, he still managed to be productive, posting 5.5 sacks on the year.
Here is what PFF had to say about Bosa:
When Bosa is healthy and on the field, there is arguably no stronger force in the pass-rush. Among the 85 edge defenders who have logged at least 500 pass-rushing snaps since 2016, Bosa’s win rate (21.0%) and pressure rate (21.2%) both rank first.
To this day, the Chargers still find it hard to believe that safety Derwin James fell to their laps in the middle of the first round of the 2018 draft.
Touted as the top safety, James lived up to his expectations and much more in his first season as a professional. James played in the Pro Bowl and was voted first-team All-Pro. A true chess piece, he helped the defense rank as a top-10 unit in the league.
In addition to his team-high 105 tackles, he added 3.5 sacks and three interceptions in his rookie campaign.
Here is what PFF had to say about James:
Our Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2018, James figures to be a lethal weapon on the defensive side of the ball for years to come. In his 16 games last season, James has proved to be a jack-of-all-trades, and out of his 1027 defensive snaps, he logged 205 on the defensive line, 418 in the box, 166 as a slot cornerback, 22 as a perimeter cornerback and 216 as a free safety. His 19 total quarterback pressures and 40 defensive stops both ranked first among first-year players at the position, and he allowed a passer rating of just 71.8 on throws into his primary coverage.
