One Chargers Player Who Just Dodged a Major Draft-Day Bullet

The Chargers didn't hit one are of possible need in the NFL draft, giving this player another chance.

Junior Colson | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t have many starting spots or even outright immediate roster jobs up for grabs during the NFL draft. 

After all, going into the process, the Chargers remained adamant that one of the speculated names in that situation, Quentin Johnston, wasn’t in danger. They later picked up his fifth-year option. 

And though his signing in free agency was a little polarizing, the Chargers also made it clear that guard Cole Strange was pretty much locked in as the starter in front of Justin Herbert going into next season. 

If one had to pick a need that wasn’t addressed by the Chargers during the draft and a player who might have benefited the most, one probably had to do a little digging. 

NFL draft results give Chargers’ embattled player new life

Junior Colson | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Running down the list of eight Chargers picks in the NFL draft (half of which were offensive linemen), the biggest need that appeared to go unaddressed was linebacker. 

Some of that was due to the aging, short-term contact status of Denzel Perryman. 

But much of it had to do with Junior Colson. 

Colson, a third-round pick by the Chargers out of Michigan in 2024, was supposed to be the future at the linebacker spot alongside a current breakout like Daiyan Henley. 

Instead, he played in just 11 games as a rookie, then needed season-ending shoulder surgery before his sophomore campaign even started. 

“Not how I expected,” Colson told the Chargers’website back in January about the start of his career. “I don’t think I have a word to describe it, especially with, it’s been riddled with injuries, which is something I’ve not dealt with before…But I feel like it’s something I had to go through." 

Already a little smaller at 6’3” and 247 pounds, Colson’s career 218 snaps didn’t show much for the long-term. And it’s a long-term now that won’t see him benefiting from the presence of a guru like Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator. 

Granted, one could also probably argue that the Chargers’ swift re-signing of Perryman wasn’t the best sign for Colson, either. They could have easily waited around on a veteran his age until after the draft, most likely. 

Overall, though, besides throwing some big money at an undrafted free agent linebacker, the Chargers aren’t doing much to really threaten Colson. And that new college free agent signing will most likely simply spar with another one, albeit from a year ago, in Marlowe Wax. 

Regardless, Colson is largely unchallenged in the wake of the NFL draft. A small bit of relief, but the pressure is still very much on for him, starting this summer. 

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