• 

The day Derwin James fell in the NFL draft to No. 17 was the day the Chargers got the biggest steal in the draft. James was projected to go in the top 10, however, there he was. Staring the Chargers in the face when they were on the clock. He backed it up on the field earning All-Pro honors, at two different positions nonetheless. Derwin James played 99% of the defensive snaps that season and the Chargers finished the season with a 12-4 record including a late must-needed win at the end of the season in Kansas City.

He has an incredibly rare set of skills that make him a nightmare for any opposing offensive coordinator. James can throttle an offensive game plan in a hurry. Standing at 6’3 and over 200 lbs and straight up chiseled. He has the foot speed to stay with a faster receiver and the size to cover any Tight End or ‘beefed-up’ receiver. But as Head Coach Brandon Staley has mentioned, Derwin James leadership and character is off-the-charts. Similar to another Chargers great by the name of Junio Seau. The Athletic’s Nate Taylor has the highest praise for James defending Travis Kelce.

“There’s been one defender who I’ve seen cover Travis Kelce effectively snap to snap. That player is Derwin James. I hope he stays healthy. I want to see what he can do particularly after knowing his career arc, what the last two seasons were. I mean, when the Chargers made that great comeback in 2018 on a Thursday night, Derwin James covered the living hell out of Travis Kelce. I mean, in a way that it was really stunning and I haven’t seen it since.”

Nate Taylor, The athletic

Everyone loves to talk about the Chiefs offense and Travis Kelce’s name is at the top of scouting reports. In the 3 games that James has played against the Chiefs, Kelce has 91 total receiving yards and 0 Touchdowns. In the 2 games that James didn’t play Kelce feasted. Kelce had 90+ receiving yards and 1 TD in each game. Should we continue? Or do we get the picture? Derwin James is going to be on another level this Sunday with the division rival.

•