First-year players enter the NFL with the expectations of seeing the field at their perspective positions early on. However, the chances of that occurring are slim. Instead, they must prove their worths on special teams.
Special teams is important because it’s a stepping stool which works to help young players get acclimated to the speed of the game, one of the biggest adjustments to coming into this league.
For the Chargers, it’s especially vital after finishing as the worst special teams unit last season. The team is optimistic that this year’s rookie class will be able to aide in that department moving forward.
“All of the rookie class, they’ve really been good at absorbing the things that we’ve been putting in,” special teams coordinator Derius Swinton II said. “I think that they can all contribute at some point.”
In particular, two players highlighted by Swinton that have grasped the concepts quickly are Chris Rumph II and Nick Niemann due to their collegiate experiences at Duke and Iowa.
An undrafted rookie who is looking to earn a spot on the 53-man roster is Amen Ogbongbemiga, who has also caught the eye of Swinton.
While the majority of the rookies may not get snaps early on, that could change at any given time based on how they perform at simply covering a kick.
