Derwin James

There's never been much doubt about James' ability to impact the game when on the field, but the problem has been keeping him off the injury report. He's missed at least one game in each of the last four seasons and multiple games on three occasions. The 2023 campaign was among his healthiest, and James delivered a career-high 125 total tackles while also showing off some of his ability as a dynamic playmaker with a pair of sacks, seven passes defensed and an interception. Though the arrival of Jim Harbaugh may bring question marks to the offensive side of the ball, he should have a major positive effect on the defense, with James being in the center of his plans. Even after baking in a few missed games, James' skill and situation is setting up for a very productive campaign so long as he can avoid significant injury.

Injuries continue to be an issue for James, who played only 14 games and 799 defensive snaps in 2022, but when he's on the field there are few safeties who can match the production of the 17th overall pick in 2018. The four-year contract extension he signed last August won't kick in until 2024, so it's possible the Chargers move on if he continues to have trouble staying healthy, but the team has no clear successor in place yet. The front office continues to add veteran pieces around him, signing Eric Kendricks in March, but only Joey Bosa is as important to the defense's success.

James is the best player in a tough Chargers pass defense, and his elite real-life play translates well for IDP purposes. There’s also reason to think he can intercept more passes with Justin Herbert regularly forcing opponents to throw. With the ability to post 120-plus tackles with noteworthy contributions in the sack and INT columns, James is among the top candidates to finish 2022 as the DB1 for IDP purposes.

James basically hasn't played since his 2018 rookie season, as a foot injury limited him to five games in 2019 and a meniscus tear ended his 2020 season before it started. It's tempting to knock a player in the rankings after so much missed time, but James simply seems a victim of bad luck, and if his luck turns merely to average he should re-establish himself as an All-Pro defender. If his luck turns good, he could be the best safety in the NFL, with distance. He was on the verge of that his rookie year, when he produced 105 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.

There were few players more anticipated than James leading up to the 2019 season after earning All-Pro honors as a rookie, but a preseason stress fracture in his foot held him out until the final five games. Through 21 career contests, James' per-snap tackle rate puts his 1,000-snap projection to 105 stops, which incidentally was the tackle total he posted from his rookie year on 1,026 snaps. That's enough to make him a likely top-12 defensive back IDP, but the hope is that he'll provide sack and interception production like he did in his rookie year, when he made 3.5 sacks and intercepted three passes. Basically, it's reasonable to expect James to return to the production from 2018, when he was one of the top IDPs among defensive backs.

Everyone knew it made no sense when James fell to the 17th pick of last year's draft, and it looks like the Chargers lucked into a generational talent. James' rookie season couldn't have been any better, as he piled up his triple-digit tackles and noteworthy playmaking stats (3.5 sacks and three picks) while providing strong work in coverage. A foot fracture suffered in August will cost him the early part of the 2019 campaign, but the Chargers hope to get James back at some point during the regular season.

James fell to the No. 17 pick in the most recent draft, but he's one of the best safety prospects in years and will almost certainly make teams regret passing on him. At 6-2, 215, James is a high-motor defender with 4.47 speed and a 40-inch vertical. There's a three-down role up for grabs with the Chargers now that Tre Boston is gone, and it would be shocking if James didn't claim it immediately. James posted 84 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games last year for Florida State.