Chargers had formal meeting with PSU OL Juice Scruggs

Mar 22, 2023 - 2:29 PM

The Chargers aren’t desperately looking for a starter on the offensive line, but that’s not stopping them from doing their homework and potentially reinforcing the depth up front after the slew of injuries they had to fight through at the position this past season.

Another name the Chargers have shown interest in is Penn State interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. Per The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Scruggs had a formal meeting with the Chargers at this year’s combine, along with the 49ers and Dolphins.

The 6’3, 301-pound Scruggs was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions with experience playing both center and guard. He’s stocky and built thick which he uses to his advantage as an interior player. He’ll make it a tough time for defenders to get through him, but that isn’t exactly the case for finesse defenders who will look to work around him.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com calls Scruggs a “block of granite” that works his tail off to execute his assignment no matter how he has to get it done. In the run game, he prefers to wall off defenders as opposed to moving them from point A to point B.

One of my favorite traits for offensive linemen to have is the awareness to keep their head on a swivel and look for work at all times. Scruggs does just that, as well.

Following his final season at Penn State, Scruggs was invited to play in this year’ East-West Shrine Bowl where he put on one of the better performances by an offensive linemen during the all-star showcase. He showed great feet in mirroring interior pass rushers and created ample running lanes throughout his time in Las Vegas.

Again, the Bolts don’t need a new center this year or next, but preparing for the future now could pay dividends later on whenever Corey Linsley decides to hang them up after a phenomenal career.