Bronco Mendenhall: Chargers WR Joe Reed a 'One-Size-Fits-All' Weapon

New Chargers wide receiver Joe Reed received a major endorsement from his former college coach, Bronco Mendenhall.

When the Los Angeles Chargers selected Virginia wide receiver Joe Reed in the fifth round, they did so with an eye on using him in more than one role on offense. Reed confirmed as much during his post-draft interview, setting expectations fairly high for his NFL career.

Reed's college coach Bronco Mendenhall shares those aspirations for his former pupil.

"Well, we have a saying and I think Bill Belichick might have coined this," Mendenhall told Chris Hayre on the Chargers Weekly Podcast. "The more you can do, the more you can do. And then the more you can do, the more valuable you are. And so every roster is limited, right? You don't have the same quality of players but what if one player can do multiple things? And so Joe was kind of a one-size-fits-all. Do you need to return a kick? Okay, great. Do you need to go deep? Okay, great. Do you want to put him running back and hand him the ball? Awesome. Do you want to have yards after the catch, maybe on a tunnel screen? Great. So really, there's not much he can't do. And so really based on matchup, based on field position, and based on our intent, we could just kind of put them at the tip of the spear. And, that's almost Swiss Army Knife-ish, I would say."

While Reed has speed and play-making skills to operate as a traditional wide receiver, his size (6-foot, 224 pounds) allows him to handle responsibilities more typically associated with running backs. Virginia used him that way, motioning him around the formation before the snap in order to create advantageous matchups. The Chargers took a similar approach to Austin Ekeler last season and could use Reed in a similar manner. If Reed can acclimate quickly to the NFL and Los Angeles' offensive system, he has a chance to become a regular piece of the offense early in his career.

Perhaps just as importantly, Reed's college coach believes he will fit into the locker room and the organization seamlessly.

"He's authentic, sincere, genuine, through and through," Mendenhall said. "And that's so refreshing. There is no other motive and no other agenda other than trying to help the organization, better himself, serve other people, and be a great teammate. There's no more than that. So, it doesn't do any good to keep looking for more than that. That's who he is. And that's real. And so just acknowledging that right from the beginning, and sometimes it's even hard to imagine that someone is that pure. But his motives and his agenda are completely aligned with what's best for the organization, and how to help."

-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on Twitter: @by_JBH