Former Notre Dame standout Jerry Tillery was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was taken with the No. 28 pick.
Tillery becomes the first Notre Dame defensive lineman to go in the first round since Renaldo Wynn was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 1997.
A second-team All-American in 2018 by Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press, Tillery ranked second among all defensive tackles in quarterback pressures according to Pro Football Focus, who also ranked Tillery as the seventh best player in the draft.
Tillery tied for the team lead with eight sacks in 2018 to go with 10.5 tackles for loss. PFF credited him with 49 quarterback pressures in 2018.
Originally recruited to play offensive tackle, Tillery decided prior to enrolling early at Notre Dame that he wanted to play defense, and it proved to be big for the Irish. After Jarron Jones went down with a season-ending knee injury during fall camp, Tillery was thrust into the lineup and he played a key role in the Note Dame defensive line during a 10-3 season.
Tillery finished his Notre Dame career with 135 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and two blocked kicks.
He had a career-high four sacks in Notre Dame's 38-17 win over Stanford. Cardinal head coach David Shaw was part of the draft coverage on NFL Network and he had this to say about Tillery:
“Through all my draft preparation I kept asking myself why is his name not up there with all the rest of those guys … this guys causes problems inside against the run and the pass. I close my eyes sometimes when I see him hitting our QB. This guy’s got a chance to be really, really good. If he’s healthy he’s got a shot to help the Chargers.”
ESPN's Anthony McFarland, a former NFL defensive tackle, had this to say:
“When you see Jerry Tillery the first thing that comes to my mind is Richard Seymour. A long guy that is powerful and has the quickness inside. Can play in the 4-3 or the 3-4 … I love the player, I like how long and strong he is. He gives you a lot of scheme flexibility”
ESPN's Louis Riddick immediately followed up with this comment:
“When it’s turned up for him this kid can wreck shop.”
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