Latest news with #Kennard
Los Angeles Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Jim Harbaugh taking a new approach to evaluating Chargers' rookie talent
Before the Chargers put diamonds in any Super Bowl rings, Jim Harbaugh is looking for diamonds on the practice field. 'Rare gems, they don't just hop out of the ground and into your pocket,' the Chargers coach said as the team began rookie minicamp Friday. 'You gotta dig.' The Chargers are searching for their hidden gems through a unique rookie minicamp. Harbaugh is doing away with most 11-on-11 periods during the three-day tryout period. He will instead rely primarily on individual drills to evaluate which rookies would be best suited for a team hoping to end a six-year playoff win drought. The coaching staff will teach two drills that directly apply to the Chargers' scheme on offense or defense and special teams and three drills by position, then evaluate each prospect compared to his counterparts. The system, which Harbaugh admitted he has never tried before, is intended to provide a fair way for rookies to compete while also letting the staff see each player's pure talent. It's the coach's way of 'mining for gold,' he said. 'Picture a 90-minute meeting to go over offense and defense, and then go out on the field. Then we're judging who learned the system better,' Harbaugh said. 'But we're not seeing the capabilities, what they have talent wise.' The Chargers already know what they have with their nine draft picks, including seven who signed rookie contracts Friday. Even before officially signing their deals, first-round pick Omarion Hampton and second-rounder Tre' Harris still participated in Friday's three-hour session. The three-day work weekend is primarily a show for the team's 18 undrafted free agents and 23 tryout players. Harbaugh said he would keep a close eye on undrafted free agent running back Raheim Sanders, whose 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine equaled Hampton's despite the 230-pound Sanders being 10 pounds heavier. Kansas receiver Luke Grimm and tight end Stevo Klotz also stood out to Harbaugh on tape. While unheralded players fight for opportunities, even the drafted players realize the importance of making a good first impression. 'A lot of the D-line guys, we were competing against each other,' said defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell, the Chargers' third-round draft pick. 'Not everybody gets a job at the end of the day. Nobody has secured a job, even me. That's how I look at it.' Caldwell, a 6-foot-1, 340-pound defensive tackle out of Oregon, worked individually with defensive line coach Mike Elston and assistant defensive line coach Will Tukuafu while the majority of the rookies were working on special teams drills. Nearby, outside linebacker Kyle Kennard honed his pass-rushing technique with defensive assistant Dylan Roney. The transition to the NFL has already delivered several surreal moments for Kennard. The Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year heard his name called as a fourth-round pick, then soon got a text from Chargers star edge rusher Khalil Mack. Mack, who Kennard praised as 'one of the greatest to do it,' congratulated the 125th pick on his selection but advised Kennard to not celebrate for too long. The rookie listened. 'Khalil Mack told me not to celebrate, I'm going to stay in the house and go to sleep,' said Kennard, who met Mack briefly in the locker room Friday and shared a welcoming embrace. The rookies who pass the three-day minicamp will join veterans during next week's organized team activities. During the first portion of the voluntary workouts, the Chargers experimented on the offensive line with Zion Johnson at center. Harbaugh said the team has alternated between last year's configuration that had Johnson at left guard next to center Bradley Bozeman and reversing the two offensive linemen to put Johnson at center for the first time in his NFL career. Bozeman hasn't played guard in an NFL game since 2020. Despite Johnson's inexperience at the position, his technique is impeccable, Harbaugh gushed. The snaps are popping off his hand, and the 25-year-old is one of the team's most athletic and intelligent offensive linemen. The change comes at a critical time during Johnson's career. The Chargers didn't pick up the 2021 first-round pick's fifth-year option, leaving him to potentially prove himself at a brand new position. 'He's going to be starting at one of those two positions,' Harbaugh said. 'It just adds versatility. … We'll get our best five eventually, but I know he's going to be one of them.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
This Chargers rookie could surprise and exceed expectations in 2025
Most players selected in Round 3 or later aren't expected to contribute as much and are primarily relegated to reserve and/or on special teams duties in their rookie season. However, some later-round picks prove they belong, and for Pro Football Network, they believe Kyle Kennard falls under that category. Kyle Kennard is bringing length, burst, and production to the Chargers' front seven. After a dominant final season at South Carolina, where he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and captured the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Kennard enters the NFL as one of the most productive edge rushers in college football. His numbers reflect a player who consistently disrupted plays against high-level competition. Advertisement Los Angeles added Kennard in the fourth round to shore up an edge defender group with aging Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree, who are in the final year of their contract. Additionally, they needed more pass-rushing juice on the edge, which Kennard has shown to possess by dominating against good competition, which resulted in 11.5 sacks in his final collegiate season. Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu will be the starters during the 2025 season, while Kennard will begin as a third-down or situational rusher. But when he is on the field, the former South Carolina could make a huge impact, given how polished he is as a pass rusher. By Year 2, Kennard could start opposite Tuipulotu, especially if he becomes more refined as a run defender. This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: This Chargers rookie could exceed expectations in 2025 season
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This Chargers rookie could surprise and exceed expectations in 2025
This Chargers rookie could surprise and exceed expectations in 2025 Most players selected in Round 3 or later aren't expected to contribute as much and are primarily relegated to reserve and/or on special teams duties in their rookie season. However, some later-round picks prove they belong, and for Pro Football Network, they believe Kyle Kennard falls under that category. Kyle Kennard is bringing length, burst, and production to the Chargers' front seven. After a dominant final season at South Carolina, where he earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and captured the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Kennard enters the NFL as one of the most productive edge rushers in college football. His numbers reflect a player who consistently disrupted plays against high-level competition. Los Angeles added Kennard in the fourth round to shore up an edge defender group with aging Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree, who are in the final year of their contract. Additionally, they needed more pass-rushing juice on the edge, which Kennard has shown to possess by dominating against good competition, which resulted in 11.5 sacks in his final collegiate season. Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu will be the starters during the 2025 season, while Kennard will begin as a third-down or situational rusher. But when he is on the field, the former South Carolina could make a huge impact, given how polished he is as a pass rusher. By Year 2, Kennard could start opposite Tuipulotu, especially if he becomes more refined as a run defender.
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spartan defensive back transfer commits to South Dakota
Spartan defensive back transfer commits to South Dakota One of Michigan State football's first transfer portal entrants was a defensive back in the form of DJ Kennard. Kennard spent one season in East Lansing, and did not see the field during that year. Kennard, originally from Falls Church, Va. He played his final year of high school ball at Palmetto Prep in Columbia, South Carolina as a postgraduate year in 2023, before coming to Michigan State. Now, after searching for a new home, the former Spartan has landed on what is next for his career. Kennard will be dropping down a level and will be joining the University of South Dakota. The Coyotes are a member of the Missouri Valley Conference of the FCS. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL draft: Why the Chargers selected EDGE Kyle Kennard
2025 NFL draft: Why the Chargers selected EDGE Kyle Kennard Los Angeles has rounded out their edge rusher room. The Chargers opened their set of selections on Saturday with former South Carolina edge Kyle Kennard at the No. 125 pick, adding him to a stable that includes Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Bud Dupree. Kennard is a raw rusher - his one season at South Carolina was his only as a full-time starter after four years at Georgia Tech - but he gets off the line quickly and adds a bit of burst to a Chargers room that is primarily made up of power rushers at this juncture. He's a high-motor player, which makes up for his lack of physicality at the point of attack in the run game. For Los Angeles, Kennard will begin his career as a designated pass rusher, most plausibly in packages where the Chargers move Mack or Tuipulotu to the inside on third downs. He only played 127 special teams snaps in his five-year career, with 0 of them coming last season, but LA will likely expect him to contribute in that role after Tuipulotu was second on the team in special teams snaps last season. The Chargers are betting on one season of production from Kennard, who was the first Gamecock to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. His 11.5 sacks last season will hopefully translate into a developing role with LA, and he has the tools to turn into a solid EDGE2 next to Tuipulotu down the line.
