South quarterback Justin Herbert of Oregon was named the Senior Bowl MVP to cap an impressive week ... [+]
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, but more importantly, throws like a polished Oregon Duck, is that a good sign for the Los Angeles Chargers?
Quarterback Justin Herbert delivered a stellar body of work at the Senior Bowl, which certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the Chargers.
With 14-year starter Philip Rivers soon to become a free agent, the Chargers are likely in the market for a quarterback. With or without Rivers’ return, it’s a position they are expected to address with the sixth overall pick in April’s draft.
Herbert, who could be on the board at No. 6, didn’t hurt his stock by being named the MVP in the game that features many of the nation’s top seniors.
He completed nine of 12 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-6, 227-pound Herbert also added a 19-yard run, which could prove to be an indicator of his potential mobility at the next level.
“In this day and age of the NFL, you’ve got to be able to make some plays with your feet and be able to create a little bit,’’ South coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals told reporters.
The real story on Herbert came before the South failed to rise against the North in a 31-17 loss in Mobile, Ala. Herbert’s name was among the NFL scouts’ conversations after three solid workouts and it led to him being named the practice player of the week.
That Herbert drew Taylor’s praise is interesting in that the Bengals have the No. 1 pick. But that’s expected to be executed on LSU’s Joe Burrow, and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa could be gone, too, by the time the Chargers are on the clock.
Neither Barrow, or Tagovailoa, who is rebounding from hip surgery, participated in the Senior Bowl.
Herbert, when meeting with the media at the Senior Bowl, downplayed where he’ll continue his career.
“I don’t know, that’s for the (teams) to decide,’’ Herbert said.
Tom Telesco, the Chargers general manager, will make the call on if the Chargers will move forward with Herbert. Telesco has veteran Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick, a fifth-round pick last year, already on the roster.
But as the Chargers move into SoFi Stadium next season, with the Rams, the belief is they want to do so with a quarterback that will take them well into the new decade.
“I love seeing players that are ‘projected to go high’ and still want to come play in the game,’’ Telesco said on a Chargers podcast. “That’s great to see.’’
Herbert opened some eyes in Alabama. Just maybe it was enough for his NFL career to take flight with the Chargers.
