Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers double-dipped on cornerbacks in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes of quickly bolstering an important position group during Jim Harbaugh’s first season with the team. Despite having guys like Asante Samuel Jr. and Krisitian Fulton leading the group, the new coaching knew they wanted to increase the floor of the group with Jesse Minter taking over the defense.
What they probably didn’t expect was to draft not one, but two impact rookies both taken on day three of the draft. Fast forward a year and we’re currently entering the season with Tarheeb Still as a starter on this defense and Cam Hart also pushing for starting snaps along with free-agent additions Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste.
However, not only are both Still and Hart seriously in the mix this year, they’re both being highlighted by national NFL analysts as sophomore players who could make an even bigger impact this year after standout rookie seasons.
On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak published a list of the 20 most important sophomore defenders in the NFL this year. Both Still and Hart were included.
Let’s take a look at what Solak had to say about both second-year players.
On Tarheeb Still
“Still was supposed to be a nickel. That’s the job the fifth-round rookie initially learned in camp, and the role he filled when he first got onto the field following starting slot Ja’Sir Taylor’s injury. But by Week 6, the Chargers needed players at outside corner, so they threw Still into the fire.“
“He shredded. Still just gets it. A zone-cover corner through and through, Still is extremely comfortable playing with his eyes in the backfield and relating to routes as they develop around him — very instinctive. When forced to get connected to receivers, he has the explosiveness to stay in phase, and he plays the ball wonderfully through the catch point. Plenty of his pass breakups last season came when he never found the ball, but he knew how to play the receiver’s hands. When he did see the football, he reliably caught it, turning four PBUs into interceptions, tied for second most among all rookies.”
“Still seems like one of those smart defenders that coaches just can’t wait to get on the field, and I’m curious to see how L.A. does it this season. My guess is he’ll start on the outside when the team is in the nickel (the Chargers prefer to play three safeties in their nickel sets), and then move to the slot when they want to get a third corner on the field. Flip-flopping can be an enormous ask for veteran players, let alone a second-year fifth-round pick. If Still can keep up the ball production in the slot, where his quick reactions might be even more potent, he’ll unlock a new level of versatility in the Chargers’ already excellent pass defense.”
On Cam Hart
*“The splashier name among Chargers rookie DBs last season was Tarheeb Still, thanks to...
