NFL Draft: Grading each first round pick after five weeks

17. Los Angeles Chargers – Derwin James

There’s only one player that jumps off the screen when the Chargers defense takes the field. The former Florida State Seminole, Derwin James, is Weapon X for Gus Bradley. James is what Bradley had in Kam Chancelor during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, but better. Although he’s a safety, James lines up close to the line of scrimmage as blitzer and makes teams account for him. In fact, James lived in the backfield of opposing offenses with four tackles for loss and three sacks.

Moreover, James isn’t just a box safety, he can line up closer to the line in a corner-type role and does a fantastic job in zone coverage. In fact, his talent may land him on the All-Pro team as a rookie, according to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager:

"“When it’s all said and done [Derwin James] will not only be DROY but will be an All-Pro.”"

When Joey Bosa returns, we’ll likely see James more in coverage. If that happens, expect his passes defended and interception totals to increase. And since he’s so good getting into the backfield, we’ll likely see his sack numbers increase as well.

Grade: A

18. Green Bay Packers – Jaire Alexander

Some draft evaluators had Jaire Alexander as the best cover corner in the draft. However, injury issues caused Alexander’s draft stock to fall. The Green Bay Packers understood his value, though, so they snatched him up. So far, he’s done nothing to disappoint. Not only has Alexander proven to be the cover guy the Packers needed, but he’s also shown the ability to run defend.

As a matter of fact, for the first three weeks of the season, he led the Packers in tackles. Unfortunately, an injury kept him out last week against the Lions, but he’s shown promise. There’s no denying he’s part of the reason why the Packer only allow just a 61.73 completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks.

Grade: A