Unexpected Chargers rookie starts making noise at training camp

When one thinks of the Los Angeles Chargers draft class, the attention goes to big names like Omarion Hampton and Tre Harris. 

When one thinks of possible breakouts, the mind goes to pass rusher Kyle Kennard and even tight end Oronde Gadsden. 

RJ Mickens would like a word, though. 

Mickens, a sixth-round safety out of Clemson selected with a compensatory pick, has started to make his name circulate a little at training camp, as detailed by The Athletic’s Daniel Popper: 

“On the first play, Mickens was in coverage on tight end McCallan Castles near the right sideline. Castles ran an out route. Mickens broke hard on the route from depth. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke delivered an accurate ball, and Castles made the initial catch. But Mickens jarred the ball loose with a violent punch, forcing the incompletion.”

The other big play from Pickens? An interception on a fourth-and-one try by the offense. 

Not a bad start for a sixth-rounder who enters a crowded depth chart that, upon being drafted, had him looking like a practice-squad candidate. 

There’s much to sort out at safety if Mickens can keep this up. Veteran Tony Jefferson feels like the favorite behind the big three (Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, Elijah Molden), but that could change in a hurry, or the team could need to keep five. 

Perhaps fans should have seen this coming, though. The Chargers, after all, hit it big last year with Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still, two fifth-round defensive backs. Is Mickens next?