We all know by now that Jim Harbaugh is the man leading the charge for the Los Angeles Chargers. There has been plenty of discussion about Harbaugh and new General Manager, Joe Hortiz looking to select former players under the Harbaugh regime at Michigan. However, what if there is already someone on the roster with the potential to become a long-time starter who has familiarity with Coach Harbaugh?
Christopher Hinton Breakout Season
Why Did Christopher Hinton Go Undrafted?
Christopher Hinton Jr is the son of seven-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman, Chris Hinton. Hinton Jr went to Michigan as a recruit from Coach Harbaugh. When arriving at Michigan, Hinton mainly played during the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a B-gap defender who was known for good leverage and ability to clog up gaps.
After his 2022 campaign, he declared for the NFL draft as a junior. He was only 21 years of age when the 2022 NFL draft started. Unfortunately for Christopher Hinton Jr, his name was not called on any of the days. This was due to his complete lack of explosion off the ball, which hampered his ability both in the running and the passing game. He also lacked the ability to create moves and counter moves to get to the quarterback. However, he was a priority free agent and was swiftly signed after the draft.
Watch: Potential Chargers Receiver Target
Christopher Hinton’s NFL Resume
Once landing with the New York Giants as an undrafted rookie, Christopher Hinton Jr played all of training camp with the team but was released shortly after. He later had very short stints with the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. After these stints, he finally found a home with the Los Angeles Chargers on November 9th, 2022.
After spending a month on the practice squad, he made his debut on December 11th, 2022. Once he was signed to the active roster, he lasted until the 2023 season. He bounced up and down from the practice squad and active roster.
During his time playing as a depth defensive lineman, he showed some flashes against the run, which was the main reason for the Chargers to keep him around this long. As of 2024, even with the firing of the previous regime, he was signed to a futures contract.
Why Reuniting With This Regime Will Lead To Christopher Hinton’s Breakout
At this point, you must be wondering how in the world this defensive lineman with 81 defensive snaps last year is magically going to break out and become a starter. Well, the likelihood of Christopher Hinton Jr garnering more playing time is near 100%. More playing time means more opportunities for success.
Familiarity With Coaching
Christopher Hinton as mentioned before has ties with this coaching staff. The most notable being Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, who held the same title when Hinton was at Michigan. Whilst at Michigan, he was trained by Chargers Strength and Condition coach, Ben Herbert. Furthermore, Hinton’s best statistical season was during 2022 under now Chargers defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter. Minter held the same title at Michigan in 2022.
The ties with the coaching staff are huge for any player, especially helping Hinton accelerate his ability to learn this new playbook and play fast as soon as training camp starts. Beyond the general knowledge of the scheme, Christopher Hinton Jr is much more likely to fit in this scheme under Minter much more than the previous defensive play-caller, Brandon Staley.
Chargers Have No One Else
As it stands currently, the Chargers starting duo at defensive tackle is Morgan Fox and Poona Ford. Fox is a very good interior pass rusher but also does not really fit in well with Minter’s ideal body type at defensive tackle. Poona Ford was once a well-respected run-stopping nose tackle but is coming off a season in Buffalo where he was a healthy scratch for the majority of the season.
Behind these guys are former late-day three-draft picks, Otito Ogbonnia and Scott Matlock. Both of whom showed promise in their own respects, but lack the familiarity that Hinton has, and will likely need much longer to learn the scheme. The last two on the depth chart are undrafted free agents, Jerrod Clark and CJ Okoye. Clark was once looked at as an early day-three selection but ended up going undrafted. Okoye is an international prospect from Nigeria who had a very exciting preseason just a year ago.
There is surely exciting depth, but the top-end talent in this room is completely barren. Christopher Hinton brings NFL size, and experience at only 23 years old. Hinton also has shown enough flashes just this last season, and preseason to show that he is more than ready to take on a larger role in the NFL.
Last Word on Christopher Hinton
When it comes to a combination of nice-to-haves, Christopher Hinton Jr has it all. He has NFL bloodlines, familiarity with a brand-new coaching staff, and a few years of NFL experience. Doing so only at 23 years old. I would expect him to make a massive jump in his play in the 2024 season for Bolts.
Main Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
