As the NFL continues to hire assistant coaches from the college ranks, familiarity with prospects is at an all-time high.
Some coaches and front office members just have schools they like: general manager Tom Telesco favors Notre Dame, head coach Brandon Staley likes Georgia, etc.
But other members of the Chargers staff have experience with a number of prospects in this year’s class, and connections could drive a potential selection in April’s draft.
These Chargers coaches have directly coached or recruited at least one 2023 prospect.
DB Coach Derrick Ansley
While he’s rumored to be the next defensive coordinator after Renaldo Hill departed for Miami, Ansley is (for now) still only the defensive backs coach for LA. Prior to joining the Chargers in 2021, Ansley served as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2019-20 after a stint at Alabama from 2016-17 coaching defensive backs.
At Tennessee, Ansley coached linebacker Jeremy Banks, a Shrine Bowl attendee, as well as linebacker Henry To’o To’o, one of the position’s bigger names in this draft class. He also was Volunteers pass rusher Byron Young’s secondary recruiter when Young was coming out of Georgia Military College.
None of Ansley’s direct pupils as Alabama DB coach are in this year’s draft, primarily because all of them are already in the league. However, Ansley had a huge recruiting role for the Crimson Tide, serving as primary or secondary recruiter for three players now in this year’s draft. Guard/center Emil Ekiyor Jr. was convinced to attend Alabama by Ansley, while receiver Kearis Jackson (Georgia) and safety Trey Dean (Florida) ultimately chose other SEC destinations.
WR Coach Chris Beatty
Prior to joining the Chargers in 2021, Beatty was the wide receivers coach at Pitt from 2019-20 and Maryland from 2016-18.
At Maryland, Beatty was the primary recruiter of pass rusher Durell Nchami, an underrated option in this year’s very strong EDGE class. He also coached receiver Dontay Demus Jr. for Demus’ freshman season. Demus’ draft stock is hard to predict because of how a torn ACL ended his 2021 and affected his 2022 season, but his familiarity with Beatty could eventually land him in LA.
The big draw here is now-USC receiver Jordan Addison, who was recruited by and played for Beatty during his freshman season in 2020. Addison went on to win the Biletnikoff Award, bestowed to college football’s best receiver, in 2021 before transferring to USC. A potential first-round option, Addison is by far the most high-profile player connected to the Chargers coaching staff.
Pass Game Specialist Tom Arth
Arth was the head coach of Akron from 2018-21 and Chattanooga from 2017-18 before joining the Chargers as pass game specialist. His place on the staff is actually a reunion with head coach Brandon Staley, who was Arth’s defensive coordinator at John Carroll in 2013, 2015, and 2016 while Arth served as the head coach of the Blue Streaks.
While Arth’s Akron teams were devoid of NFL talent during his tenure, he did pull in two late-round prospects during his time in Chattanooga. Both guard McClendon Curtis and defensive lineman Devonnsha Maxwell played for Arth for two seasons as true and redshirt freshmen in 2017 and 2018. Curtis attended the Senior Bowl, while Maxwell attended the Shrine Bowl this cycle. Either player could be a potential Chargers target as additional depth later in the draft.
