Former Evangel football standout Jerry Tillery is making his mark early as defensive lineman for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. Tillery, a Notre Dame alum, was the Chargers first round pick in this year's draft and, according to camp observers, is already catching the eyes of the Bolts coaching staff.

"But Chargers rookie Jerry Tillery already understands the business of football and how doing things like he did Sunday against New Orleans is good for business.

Tillery, a first-round pick in April, entered the game in the second quarter and soon after beat Saints right guard Nick Easton badly to tackle elusive quarterback Taysom Hill for an eight-yard loss."

The Chargers lost the this weekend's exhibition contest to the Saints by a 19 - 17 final.

"In addition to the highlight play, Tillery was consistently generating pressure and showed good hustle in chasing down ball carriers.

Tillery has been limited for most of the offseason after recovering from a torn labrum in the spring. He began participating in team drills for the first time last week and impressed Charges defensive coordinator Gus Bradley."

Tillery is expected to make an immediate contribution to the Los Angeles defense, and may even be a starter in the Chargers first regular season game against Indianapolis on September 8.

 

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