Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers have had some success with their first two draft classes under general manager Joe Hortiz. His first class produced both Joe Alt, Ladd McConkey, Tarheeb Still, and Cam Hart. His most recent class has seen first-rounder Omarion Hampton show some star power prior to injury and now tight end Oronde Gadsden II is seemingly the next young stud at his position.
Through Week Eight, those latter two players were just named amongst the top 15 rookies in the NFL. This is in spite of Hampton being on IR for the last three games and Gadsden being inactive for both Weeks One and Two.
Gadsden is ranked as the higher of the two at No. 9 with an overall season grade of 75.1.
“Gadsden’s ascent continues,” says analyst Lauren Gray. “He did all of his damage on Thursday Night in the first half, catching each of his five targets for 77 yards. He hauled in his second touchdown of the season, an eight-yard catch across the middle. He later got through the defense for a 40-yard gain on a third-and-8 play in the second quarter. Gadsden finished the night with an 84.8 PFF receiving grade (third best) and a perfect passer rating when targeted.”
“Gadsden owns an elite 90.2 PFF receiving grade over the past two weeks. He has caught 12 of 14 passes in that span for 241 yards (most), two touchdowns and eight first downs (second most). Six of his catches have gone for 15-plus yards, and he boasts a 128.6 passer rating when targeted.“
As for Hampton, he just made the cut by being tied for No. 15 with Bears wideout Luther Burden
“Burden was held to one catch for negative yardage in the Bears’ Week 8 loss to the Ravens. He has now caught 13 of 15 targets for 171 yards this season.“
“Seven of Burden’s targets have come from the slot, where he has five catches for 76 yards. He’s been at his best on deep throws, bringing in three of four passes for 131 yards, including a 65-yard bomb against the Cowboys in Week 3. Burdens ranks first among rookies in passer rating when targeted on deep throws (156.3) and third in deep PFF receiving grade (97.8).”
What do you all think of these rankings from Pro Football Focus? Of course they are ranking them by their own grading system, but where would you rank these two Chargers if the grades were not there? Higher or lower than the others on the list? Let us know all of your thoughts below!
