In 2022, Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco used the 79th overall selection to draft Baylor safety JT Woods. It was a classic Telesco selection: An athletic, low-floor but high-ceiling prospect taken a round or two earlier than projected. Woods was the 122nd-ranked player on the 2022 consensus big board due to poor tackling, a slender frame, and lapses in coverage. The Chargers were all-in on a projected Round 4-5 prospect because they felt they had the coaching to develop him into Nasir Adderley’s future replacement.
The results have been disastrous. In his rookie season, Woods played fewer defensive snaps than any third-round draft selection Telesco made since 2013. Over the past two seasons, undrafted free agents Raheem Layne and AJ Finley have been active on game day over him because they were more trusted by special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken. There is not a single Chargers fan out there who would doubt Ficken’s judgment, so to see him completely divert snaps to anyone else but Woods is alarming.
Woods did appear to make strides last offseason, performing well in training camp and showing improvement as a tackler in the preseason.
Still, despite injuries to both Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman, Woods saw just 61 defensive snaps last year. For reference, 60 other corners and safeties drafted in 2022 saw more snaps on defense in 2023 than he did. Roster bubble wideout Simi Fehoko, signed a quarter of the way through the season, played over double Woods’ special teams snaps. Tight end Tre’ McKitty, another Telesco third-round disappointment the team cut in October of last year, also played more than twice as many special teams snaps. That’s where Woods stood with the team last year: An athletic player the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator wanted off the field as much as possible.
Despite no expensive signings or early draft selections from the Chargers this year, Woods’ standing with the team may have only declined as a new regime that did not select him takes over. Woods’ fourth spot is going to be challenged by veteran safety Tony Jefferson and two exciting UDFA additions in Florida State’s Akeem Dent and Clemson’s Jalyn Phillips. If he cannot prove his worth as a defender or special teams contributor, Woods will not make the initial 53-man roster.
One can only hope he makes the jump with a new regime in the same way Gilman did under Brandon Staley and Derrick Ansley. His best chance is as the best long-range deep safety option they have available, particularly if defensive coordinator Jesse Minter wants to rotate James Jr. and Gilman closer to the line of scrimmage. The center fielder role suits Woods' athletic skillset, but a forty time is next-to-useless if poor diagnosing and executing create a liability on the field.
Most Popular
Comments / 0