AFC Notes: Junior Colson, Brock Bowers, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh said third-round LB Junior Colson has a profound knowledge of the defense and has consistently put the personnel in their proper position on the field.

“It’s been great. [LB] Junior [Colson], he knows the defense so well,” Harbaugh said, via Chargers Wire. “It’s such an incredible thing. I’m not saying he’s going to be wearing any dots or anything anytime soon — probably not the first year. He’s literally making all of the calls. He’s making all the linebacker calls. He’s making the DB calls right now. The safeties that are making calls are getting it mostly right. I’d give them an ‘A,’ but the ones that they miss on, Junior will make the call and correct the call for the safeties, which is awesome. In a meeting with the linebackers, [Linebackers Coach] NaVorro [Bowman] would ask a question and Junior would give the right answer. It finally got to the point, ‘Somebody other than Junior answer this next question.’ [laughter] It’s safe to say that he knows he’s on it. It’s a great thing for our team.”

• Jeremy Fowler of ESPN cites an anonymous high-ranking NFC official who thinks the Chargers didn’t get much trade interest in the No. 5 overall pick given teams weren’t going to take J.J. McCarthy in the top-five: “I think the phone won’t be ringing as much as those teams [like the Chargers] hoped.”

Chiefs

Chiefs fourth-round TE Jared Wiley is coming into an offense already loaded with weapons at receiver and tight end. Wiley spoke about what he will try to add to the organization in his first season.

“As far as the coaches, [I] just [want to] get in here and learn the offense as fast as possible and be a key contributor on the team however that looks, whether it’s special teams, offense, whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it,” Wiley said, via Logan Lazarczyk of the Chiefs Wire. “My expectations of myself are basically that, I want to come in here, I want to get comfortable, I want to learn the brand and style of football that they play here in Kansas City. I want to be able to do that to the best of my ability.”

Raiders

Raiders HC Antonio Pierce thinks they picked up “the most dynamic player in college football” in first-round TE Brock Bowers. 

“I mean, you’re talking about probably the most dynamic player in college football at that tight end position in a long time,” Pierce said, via ProFootballTalk. “It’s rare you get a guy like that [who] can line up as a slot receiver, see him in the backfield, reverses, catch the ball. But I think more importantly, [it’s] his toughness. Watching him block in the SEC, watching him get after guys, I mean that’s what impressed me. Just a gritty player, more importantly a winner, and he can help us score points.”

Pierce believes running 12 personnel with two tight ends could provide alignment issues for defenses. 

“[Y]ou look at the National Football League it’s difficult,” Pierce said. “I mean, being a former player going against 12 personnel, the matchups, the alignments that they get you in, what you do defensively I think becomes an issue as well. But you’re looking at really — I think we’re fortunate to have two tight ends on our roster, that in the last four years of college football were pretty much the best two, and I think hopefully that creates issues. It’s going to create issues for us at practice, we’ll see that. In our division, we’ve got some really good tight ends, so it’ll be good reps for us as well.”