When Derwin James slipped in the first round of the NFL draft, the Los Angeles Chargers pounced.

The Chargers nabbed the vaunted Florida State safety with the 17th overall pick Thursday night, picking up one of the top defensive prospects in the draft without needing to trade up for him.

James acknowledged he was surprised when several teams filled other needs instead of grabbing the hard-hitting former Seminoles star.

"It was a crazy feeling,'' James said. "It was like a roller coaster in there, but it was great having my family in there with me. I'm excited that LA came and got me.''

Indeed, James seemed thrilled to land with a probable playoff contender - and to play alongside second-team All-Pro cornerback Casey Hayward. They share an agent, and they met while James was in Orange County in recent months to prepare for the draft.

Although James was widely considered a top-10 talent, he dropped to the Chargers, who could use him immediately in a key role in an already solid defense.

"They told me they were going to bring me out to go win a Super Bowl,'' James said. "I said, 'I'm ready.' It was great getting that call. I'm ready to come and contribute right away. I've got something to prove. Sixteen teams passed (on) me.''

James has been widely compared to Seahawks star Kam Chancellor, and now he'll have a chance to play for Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, the coordinator of the Seattle defense that made Chancellor famous.

He will join a secondary led by Hayward and featuring Jason Verrett, Trevor Williams, safety Jahleel Addae and second-year pro Desmond King, who excelled as a rookie last season. James could even take the starting spot held by Tre Boston, who is a free agent after starting 15 games and playing almost every snap last season.

The Chargers had minimal contact with James during the scouting process leading up to the draft, likely because the franchise thought it was unlikely he would be available to them. But James already knows Addison Lynch, who joined the Chargers this year as a defensive quality control assistant after spending the past three seasons working for Jimbo Fisher at Florida State.

James is a sure tackler and eager run-stopper who excelled in two of his three seasons at Florida State, but missed most of his sophomore year with a knee injury. He made 84 tackles and two interceptions last season, earning second-team All-American honors.

James' size, speed and versatility will be a boon to the Chargers, whose defense occasionally struggled to stop the run. He also fills an area of need for a team that has two of the NFL's best edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but needs more strength up the middle.

The Chargers finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker last season after winning nine of the final 12 games in their relocation season. They've retained nearly every major playmaker from that team, and they managed to add a potential starting safety without trading up in the first round.

"It means a lot (to join a winning team), James said. "I know I've got Joey Bosa rushing the quarterback and Melvin Ingram and all those guys. I'm pretty happy. I can do my job, come right in, fit right in.''