LA Sports Hub
Fansided

Los Angeles Chargers: Rookie Uchenna Nwosu is going to surprise many

By Jason Reed

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 29: Uchenna Nwosu #42 of the USC Trojans looks on after participating in a skirmish in the second half of the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between USC and Ohio State at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State won 24-7. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 29: Uchenna Nwosu #42 of the USC Trojans looks on after participating in a skirmish in the second half of the 82nd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between USC and Ohio State at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State won 24-7. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Los Angeles Chargers have high expectations heading into the 2018-2019 NFL season. Those expectations translate to second-round pick Uchenna Nwosu.

For the second consecutive year, the Los Angeles Chargers had a fairly good showing at the NFL Draft. Unlike last year, this year the Chargers’ rookies look to stay healthy to max out on their potential.

Last season, the Chargers did not get much from the seventh overall pick, Mike Williams, as he battled injury all season long. The second-round pick, Forrest Lamp, was primed to be a huge addition to the offensive line. He missed the entire season.

This year, the Chargers have an even more promising crop of rookies to produce at a high level. The biggest name that everyone knows is safety, Derwin James.

More from LA Sports Hub

James was expected to be a top-seven pick in the draft but slipped all the way to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 17th overall pick. With Tre Boston being a free agent, the gifted James became the smart choice. He fits right in with the secondary.

However, James is not the only rookie that is going to thrive next season. Right after James, the Los Angeles Chargers selected outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu from USC. At first, I did not love the move. Now, it is clear the Nwosu is going to surprise many next season and become one of the breakout second-round picks in the draft.

Nwosu is an extremely gifted athlete with breakaway speed and was one of the hardest hitters still available in the second round.

However, what ultimately hurt Nwosu’s draft stock was his one-dimensional traits and play style. Nwosu will thrive on the outside at getting to the quarterback and from keeping three-yard runs from turning into ten-yard runs.

That left a very specific fit that did not warrant a high draft pick for many teams. For the Chargers, though, this is absolutely perfect as the team looks to bolster the linebacker unit.

Nwosu is going to thrive mostly because he is going to be taking snaps either behind Joey Bosa or Melvin Ingram. Bosa is arguably the top edge rusher in the league, Ingram is easily in the top five.

With an increased focus on those two at the offensive line, Nwosu is going to get plenty of favorably matchups and is likely going to get a lot of engagements with blocking running backs. With his athleticism, Nwosu should be able to blow through blocking backs, even as a rookie.

Because of this, we are probably going to see Nwosu’s production inflated higher than it would be elsewhere. But that is just fine, the Chargers literally found their perfect match.

Next: How high is the Chargers ceiling?

Uchenna Nwosu may not be a household name now or a name that is known outside of the Los Angeles area. However, the Los Angeles Chargers rookie is going to make sure the entire league knows his name next season.

Home/Los Angeles Chargers