Bolts First Round Pick Rashawn Slater Shows Well With Pads

Chargers Training Camp Report:
Rookie Rashawn Slater shows well with pads
Rashawn Slater (#70) at minicamp with Brenden Jaimes (#64) and Kyle Spalding (#60). (Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times)
Article by BY JEFF MILLER- LA TIMES
COSTA MESA, CA
On a day when the defense stood out, the Chargers finally got their first look at first-round pick Rashawn Slater in a padded practice.
The reviews? Thumbs up.
The left tackle matched up well in individual drills against a few of the team’s edge rushers, most notably Joey Bosa.
“You want to measure yourself against the best,” coach Brandon Staley said afterward, “and Joey’s one of the premium players in the league.”
The offense did struggle during 11-on-11. Justin Herbert had passes intercepted twice (by Alohi Gilman and Kemon Hall) and Chase Daniel once (by Mark Webb Jr.).
But Slater, taken 13th overall and starting from Day 1 of camp, impressed with his physicality, strength and ability to move.
“I think he can handle it mentally, the way we want to play,” Staley said. “From a mental standpoint, this guy’s about as sharp as you could hope for on the offensive line.
“Now he has to translate his game to blocking Joey Bosa and understand there’s a big game within a game in blocking different players and understanding how to use your skill set against somebody else and how to work with your teammates.”
General Manager Tom Telesco rebuilt the offensive line in the offseason, with only right tackle Bryan Bulaga returning from 2020.
Telesco signed center Corey Linsley and guards Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi in free agency. Then he drafted Slater out of Northwestern.
“I’m excited to see how the rookie’s going to do,” Bosa said last week. “We’ve got to beat him into the ground a little bit so he’ll be ready for Week 1.”
Observations and highlights
A total of 240 players were drafted before the Chargers took Webb in the seventh round on May 1. Five days into training camp, he hasn’t performed like a late-rounder.
His interception came when he waited in the deep part of the field and easily snagged the ball as the intended receiver, tight end Donald Parham , failed to turn his head to the quarterback.
“I’m encouraged by his performance,” Staley said. “Not satisfied yet. I think he’s flashed that he belongs on the NFL field. If you just look at him, he looks like he belongs on the NFL field.”
The 6-foot-1, 207-pound Webb began his career at Georgia as a wide receiver before switching to the secondary during his freshman year.
Running with the second team, he has been playing safety in camp, along with the designated money and star positions when the Chargers go with five or six defensive backs.
“He’s handled it mentally,” Staley said. “We’re putting a lot on him because we expect a lot from him. It’s not easy, but he’s shown the aptitude to handle it, athletically and mentally.
“He’s going to have to be a big factor for us on special teams. On defense, we’re hoping to have that versatility be a strength of his so we can put him where we need him.”
Midway through practice, the players removed their pads at the direction of the NFL. Telesco explained that the Chargers were not supposed to be in pads Monday under the league’s guidelines. He took responsibility for the mix-up.
Telesco suggested the team could be docked a padded practice as a result.
The Chargers will have a legitimate kicker competition this month. Michael Badgley and Tristan Vizcaino both went 5 for 5 in their first head-to-head matchup. Each made three attempts from 45 yards and beyond.
When healthy, Badgley has been the team’s kicker since midway through the 2018 season. But he struggled last year, going 10 of 19 from attempts of 40 yards or more.
Alex Kessman , a rookie out of Pittsburgh, also is in camp but wasn’t given a chance to kick Monday.
Wide receiver Tyron Johnson did not practice because of an issue with his foot/ankle, Staley said, adding that the Chargers don’t believe the injury to be anything serious.
Cornerback Ryan Smith hobbled off the field with two members of the training staff following a play during one-on-one drills.