Simi Fehoko was signed from the Steelers’ practice squad to help reinforce a Chargers wide receiver room that just lost one one of their stars.
The Chargers have signed Simi Fehoko, cousin of former Charger defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, from the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ practice squad to the active 53 man roster. Fehoko reported the news himself on his Tik Tok account.
Fehoko was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL out of Stanford. Over a 3-year career with the Cardinal, he caught 62 balls for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns. His breakout game came against UCLA in 2020 where he recorded 230 yards on 16 receptions and three touchdowns. His performance in his senior year earned him First-team All-Pac-12 honors.
Following just three catches for 24 yards over five games for the Cowboys, he was waived in August of this year before signing to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad.
Fehoko brings a wealth of athletic ability and fits the Bolts’ target profile of big and strong wide receivers. Standing at 6’3⅞” (88th percentile) and 222 pounds (91st percentile) means he should be a like-for-like body type replacement for Mike Williams, who has been ruled out for the rest of season after tearing his ACL against the Minnesota Vikings.
The former Stanford Cardinal tested very well during the 2021 draft process:
- Wingspan: 76⅞” (52nd percentile)
- Arm Length: 31⅝” (40th percentile)
- Hand Size: 10¼” (94th percentile)
- 10 Yard Split: 1.59s (33rd percentile)
- 20 Yard Split: 2.62s (37th percentile)
- 40 Yard Dash: 4.44s (76th percentile)
- Vertical Jump: 34½” (37th percentile)
- Broad Jump: 120” (43rd percentile)
- 3-Cone Drill: 6.78s (79th percentile)
- 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.26s (43rd percentile)
- Bench Press: 16 reps (63rd percentile)
These numbers gave him an overall RAS (relative athletic score) of 9.17 which puts him ahead of any of the Chargers wide receivers on the current active roster. This is the kind of upside the Chargers will need to find to round out a group to support Justin Herbert in the passing game over the course of the remaining 14 games of the regular season.
As his former Offensive Coordinator during their time at the Cowboys, Kellen Moore’s obvious influence in this addition shouldn’t go unnoticed as Fehoko will likely be familiar with parts of the playbook and could therefore be able to contribute immediately.