28. Jerry Tillery, DT, Los Angeles Chargers
2019 Stats: 17 total tackles, 2 sacks
With the 2019 campaign now in the rear-view mirror, it’s easy to tab Jerry Tillery‘s rookie season as a disappointment. The young defensive tackle didn’t make his presence felt often and struggled to see consistent snaps down the stretch.
With that all said, there’s reason to believe things will only get better for the former Notre Dame stud. In terms of raw talent, Tillery’s got plenty. He was a ferocious pass rusher for the Fighting Irish and flashed brief glimpses of that type of impact play this season for the Los Angeles Chargers. There wasn’t as much as the team was hoping for, but some nonetheless.
Moving forward, the Chargers will be looking for him to earn more opportunities to put those skills to work. He often struggled against double teams and will need to refine some of the techniques that should help him get to the quarterback more as a sophomore.
Let me be clear — it’s too early to start worrying about Tillery being a bust. Yes, he didn’t give the Chargers the impact performance fans were eager to see in Year 1, but all of the signs point towards a breakout campaign for the explosive defensive tackle in 2020.
Grade: C+