Los Angeles Chargers: Three storylines to watch in preseason week 3

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3. How will the rookies fit into the first team defense?

The Los Angeles Chargers drafted three defensive players in the first three rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft with all three likely going to be starters come regular season week 1.

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The most notable rookie is safety, Derwin James. James was touted to be a top seven or so pick heading into the draft but fell all the way to the Chargers with the 17th overall pick. Although there was still solid options on the board that could have fit a need, James was obviously the best available and was too good to pass up.

Even better, James fits into this great secondary like a glove. Against the Saints, we can get an extended look at how dangerous this secondary can be with James receiving snaps at safety.

In the second round, the Los Angeles Chargers selected linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. With a need to stop the run, the very athletic Nwosu was a great choice to play in the outside and get even better looks behind Joey Bosa.

With Bosa still nursing a foot injury, Nwosu will likely get the majority of the snaps at left end alongside Melvin Ingram. This will be a great test for Nwosu to see how effective he can be at getting to the quarterback when he is brought in behind Bosa at outside linebacker.

Finally, there is Justin Jones, who is likely going to be starting at defensive tackle the first four weeks due to Corey Liuget‘s four-game suspension. While Jones may not get a ton of snaps early, it will be reassuring to see how good he can be alongside Brandon Mebane in stopping the run.

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Overall, if all three rookies play to their full potential, the Los Angeles Chargers defense may challenge to be one of the best in the league.

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