Can Another Charger Linebacker Have a Sophomore Year Jump?
First-year general manager in 2024, Joe Hortiz had a smashing success in his first NFL Draft. He was able to bring in four quality starters and role players to the Los Angeles Chargers. Joe Alt played like one of the best right tackles in the whole league. Ladd McConkey was arguably a top-two rookie wide receiver in a considered rich wide receiver draft class and was a sigh of relief for the Chargers wide receiver room crisis. The most impressive draft finds were in the fifth round with Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still. Both of these rookie cornerbacks were immediate, impactful players for the Chargers and played a huge part in helping the Bolts be ranked first in opponents’ points per game. All four of these players will be key building blocks for the Chargers, but there is one other player from the 2024 draft class who can add his name to that list as well.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter were able to draft Michigan’s own Junior Colson. The linebacker was in charge of leading Michigan’s defense as he handled the blue dot. In college, Colson proved to be a good coverage linebacker and uses his instincts very well. When the 2024 NFL season started, there were high hopes for Colson to be the leader of the Chargers linebacker room. However, Colson dealt with multiple injuries in training camp including getting his appendix removed. This caused him to never get into a rhythm for the season and limited his snaps in his rookie season.
Year two of Colson however, has the potential to be very promising. Daiyan Henley in his rookie season barely was able to see the field, similar to Colson. In his second year, Henley arguably played like a Pro Bowler and solidified himself as one of the better defensive players on the team. The Chargers hope Colson can find that type of improvement in his sophomore season. A linebacker duo of Colson and Henley can be daunting for opposing offenses to scheme up against for years to come.
Health is going to be the most important factor here. Colson must be healthy this offseason and during training camp. Getting fit and in rhythm for games must be an emphasis for a big sophomore season. If Colson can make this leap and get back to his Michigan self, the Chargers linebacker room would be set for the foreseeable future and it would be another slam dunk draft pick by Hortiz.
