Shortly after the Chargers took him in the first round, safety Derwin James called Chargers.com to give one of his first interviews as a member of the Bolts.
Chargers.com:Right now, what's going through your mind?
James:Man, it's crazy emotions. I'm excited to be a Charger. I can't think of anything better, I'm just excited.
Chargers.com:You join a secondary with Casey Hayward, Jason Verrett, Jahleel Addae, Trevor Williams, Desmond King and so on. You've got Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley here, who had the Legion of Boom. Could this be a better situation for you?
James:Gus is one of the best in the business. I've heard a lot of great things about him. He got to coach Jalen Ramsey, who's a close friend of mine, and I feel like I fit in the system very well. I'm ready to come in and contribute to the team right away.
Chargers.com:Now you've also got some pass rushers ahead of you in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. That's got to be a dream for a defensive back, right?
James:Oh my God! I'm excited!
Chargers.com:You were supposed to be a top-10 pick, you are in the green room and you start slipping. What's going through your mind while the draft keeps going on?
James: Of course I thought I'd be a top-10 pick, but like I told myself, it doesn't matter what the pick is at all. If you look at the NFL, it's also guys in the fourth, fifth, sixth and undrafted guys who come out on top, so it doesn't matter where you're picked. It's how you approach the game and what you do while you're in there. I'm blessed to be able to have the opportunity to hear my name called. It doesn't matter where I was picked, I'm just happy to be a Charger.
Chargers.com: There are a lot of Chargers fans who have read about you, but they haven't seen you play in college. Describe your game, and what are they getting.
James:I'm a very versatile safety. I can play deep in the middle of the field. I can play in the box. I can cover the tight ends. I can blitz the quarterback. You name it, I can do it. I'm not one of those guys who just says I can do it; I can really do it. The tape speaks for itself. I'm really excited, and I'm coming in with an alpha dog mentality. I'm a leader on a team, so I'm going to be good for the Chargers.
Chargers.com:People like to call you a Kam Chancellor-clone. What are your thoughts on that? Is that something you've got to live up to or that you don't pay attention to?
James:I don't really look at it as something that I have to live up to. I'm just trying to be the best Derwin James I can be. I feel like I put in a lot of work and I have a lot of abilities that God blessed me with that everybody doesn't have. I'm just trying to be the best Derwin James I can be. But the comparisons are great. It's good to hear your name in the conversation with All-Pro safeties and guys like that.
Chargers.com:We've got some fan questions that have come in for you. The first is from Nick Mills who wants to know which quarterback you are most looking forward to picking off?
James:Tom Brady (laughs). Everybody's dream is to pick off Tom Brady. But like I said, I want to get as many interceptions as I can.
Chargers.com:Finally, Daniel Tobin wants to know, what's more exciting for you, playing next to Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett, or getting to play behind Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram?
James:All of the above! I'll say both. Casey and I have a great relationship. We have the same agent. I've known him for a couple years and man, I'm just happy we get to link up. I was already in L.A. training at proactive. The weather's nice. I'm a Florida kid, and I'm pretty far away but I love everything about L.A.
