Chargers HC Brandon Staley says Jamaree Salyer saved their season
Georgia had 15 players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, including five in the first round. The Bulldog who had the most impactful rookie season, however, might be Los Angeles Chargers sixth-round pick Jamaree Salyer.
He started 14 games at left tackle and played in all 17 despite coming off the board with the 195th overall pick. On Tuesday, just before the start of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley recalled what went into that pick and gave Salyer a great deal of credit.
“Last year, my favorite story probably from my first two years is we picked Jamaree Salyer in the sixth round. This guy ends up saving our season,” Staley said on The NFL Network. “I spoke at Kirby Smart’s clinic at Georgia last year and they had a million guys coming out and he does a great job. Jamaree is a guy we really loved in the draft process. Kind of the rounds are going and you know, there’s some stuff about his medical history and stuff like that but we love this player.
“We’re getting there in the sixth round and I call Kirby Smart on the phone and I’m like, ‘hey man, Kirby, we need to talk.’ Just trying to find out for Tom and Joe and he says, ‘Brandon, I promise you, this guy is the real deal. Sure enough, we pick him and he has a fantastic season and we probably picked him two or three rounds too late but better late than never. But it’s one of those things where you’re on the clock and you’re trusting the relationships that you’ve built with people and you’re getting that information in real time. For us to go pick him, it was a great moment for the Chargers.”
It seems Salyer is full of surprises…
Sure, Salyer was a five-star prospect in the 2018 class. At the time, some felt he was a generational talent on the interior of the offensive line.
It took some time, however, for him to break through at Georgia. He didn’t play a ton as a freshman and made just two starts as a sophomore with both coming at right tackle. Still, most thought he was bound for guard or maybe center.
Then came the COVID-19 affected 2020 season when Salyer won the left tackle job during camp. He started nine of 10 games there, playing the position at an extremely high level. He came back for his senior season and, again, it was presumed that he would move inside to guard. But Georgia needed him at left tackle and, one more time, he came through. He started 11 of 15 games, missing four with a foot injury, and earned All-SEC honors.
