Notre Dame football: Top-10 draft picks of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame football: Top-10 draft picks of the Brian Kelly era

9.  Jerry Tillery

• Los Angeles Chargers, 2019: Round 1, Pick 28

Another younger player, Jerry Tillery is already having a solid NFL career. He’s done this from the defensive tackle spot, primarily, which does limit the types of statistical numbers he puts up. Still, 47 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles are very good from the defensive tackle slot.

Tillery has been an everyday starter for the Chargers and he has improved statistically in each of his first two seasons. There’s no reason to think that he won’t continue to grow in this spot going forward. From here, for Tillery, the most important thing is going to be about getting the recognition he deserves.

As of right now, most people overlook him, but Tillery has the size, skill, and athleticism to be one of the great defensive linemen in the game. Including Tillery here might be a bit of a prediction, but it’s also a safe prediction, and with the Chargers starting to trend in the right direction, he is going to be a big part of their success moving forward.