The Los Angeles Chargers have landed a promising young quarterback in Justin Herbert. In order to help him elevate his play, they’ll need to re-tool their offensive line. Perhaps, a guard such as Wyatt Davis can help.
Herbert had an impressive rookie campaign in spite of a substandard offensive line. Maybe not the worst unit in the NFL but one that certainly needs a lot of help. General manager Tom Telesco surely knows that his team needs a premier offensive tackle, and there’s certainly a couple in this draft. However, the line’s interior needs help too, particularly, at guard. Trai Turner, Forrest Lamp, and Tyree St. Louis were anything but spectacular. While many disregard Pro Football Focus grades for the offensive line, we can’t help but note that none of the guards graded above 61.3 in pass protection. As a side note, it was Lamp who received that grade for 2020.
Fans normally aren’t excited with a guard getting drafted, not what you would call a ‘sexy’ pick like say, a pass rusher. Nonetheless, everything starts in the trenches and now with Anthony Lynn gone, whoever takes over will need to make Herbert’s security a priority. This is where the Ohio State guard can help the ‘Bolts.’
How Can Wyatt Help The Chargers?
Standing at six-foot-four and weighing in at 315 pounds, Wyatt is a mauler and no doubt would be an instant upgrade. Playing in the Big Ten no doubt has prepared Wyatt for a career in the NFL. He helped lead an Ohio State squad that punched their ticket to the Sugar Bowl this year. PFF recently broke down Wyatt’s career, he took 512 snaps in 2020, but more importantly, there’s been gradual improvement each of the last three years. Overall, he graded at 60.8, 82.6, and then peaked, with a 67.3 grade this past season.
PFF grades aren’t the ‘end all, be all’ in college football but if you watch Wyatt on film you can see he’s an NFL-ready guard. Even Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network is high on Wyatt’s potential.
The thing about the Chargers’ offense is we don’t know exactly what scheme they’ll be going with in 2021. Obviously, this will depend on who the next head coach is for Los Angeles. With that said, Crabbs did note that Wyatt’s strength lies in an inside zone heavy offense, so we have that keep that in mind. Regardless, Wyatt has the physical tools to open up running lanes which will help tremendously in taking the load off of Herbert. If the Chargers have a chance to pick up this aggressive mauler, they should take it.
Ohio State Offensive Guard Wyatt Davis. Photo Credit: TigerNet.com | Under Creative Commons License