Prior to the 2019 NFL draft, we at Chargers Wire were firm believers that defensive tackle Jerry Tillery was exactly what the team needed. We were pounding the table for him for months, and that soon became a reality when Los Angeles picked the former Notre Dame product with the No. 28 overall selection.
Before the draft itself, we highlighted why Tillery was a match made in heaven. Our good friends at Pro Football Focus also thought highly of him, finishing in their top-10 prospect rankings.
PFF broke down the film of several prospects in the 2019 class. One player they highlighted just so happened to be Tillery.
Below is senior analyst Mike Renner showing a just a little bit of what makes Tillery so dominant in the trenches.
Tillery is so unique because he has outstanding height, weight, and length in combination of loose movement skills and a great amount of power. He’s consistently able to lock out, shed, and disengage at the point of attack. He jolts blockers back with his initial power as a pass rusher and his heavy hands allow him to cleanly bypass them.
He will need to work on playing with a lower center of gravity more consistently, as that was the main thing that got him in trouble in college. But overall, the upside is there with Tillery. He should contribute right off the bat, and he has potential to acquire a 6+ sack season in his rookie campaign.
