Kyle Emanuel is a fifth-round draft choice from North Dakota State, an albeit dominant program in the Football Championship Subdivision. He was the 10th outside linebacker and 153rd player drafted. He is from Schuyler, Neb., a soccer-loving community of about 6,000.

His story resembles that of a training-camp underdog.

He does not.

"It (isn't) about where you come from," outside linebacker Melvin Ingram said. "It's about where you're at."

The Chargers held their first practice Saturday since Emanuel made an impressive preseason debut. He practiced more with the first-team unit than he had all year, rotating in at outside linebacker opposite Ingram. A late-round pick working with the starters in mid-August is unconventional. Such has been Emanuel.

He hasn't looked like a fifth-round pick.

"He looks like a first-round pick to us," safety Eric Weddle said Saturday. "When you look at him and you look at other first rounders, our second rounders, it's no different. His athleticism, how he mentally approaches the game, what you have to do as an outside linebacker — it's no different from him, Melvin and Jerry (Attaochu). Athletically, physicality and all that stuff is right there (with) those guys."

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Emanuel earned those Saturday reps.

His opportunity reflects the greater point of how he's performed since the spring. He was a defensive end at North Dakota State, winning four straight Division I national titles in the FCS. As smoothly as could be expected, he transitioned to outside linebacker in the Chargers' 3-4 defense, working primarily at the strong-side, or "Sam," position.

San Diego had its first exhibition game Thursday.

Emanuel was one of the standouts. He showed versatility, aligning in a four-point stance — both hands in the dirt — as a defensive end with the Chargers in their nickel sub-package. Early in the second quarter, he was a stand-up outside linebacker in the base defense when a Cowboys tackle blocked him on an edge rush.

Emanuel noticed the wide approach the lineman took.

On the next play, Emanuel made an inside move for his first NFL sack.

The Chargers later lost Tourek Williams, a much-improved outside linebacker, that game to a broken foot. Others must step up in his absence.

For Emanuel, that means continuing the path he's walked.

"I think he's done a great job since the first day he got here," coach Mike McCoy said. "He was a player who came in and worked extremely hard. He does it exactly the way (linebacker coaches) Mike (Nolan) and Bobby (King) coach him to do it. He was doing it the right way through the OTAs and minicamps. He started off (training camp) right where he left off in the offseason program."

"I don't think there's any special formula," Emanuel said. "It kind of reminds me of when I was at NDSU. We won all those championships, and people would ask, 'What's the (secret)?' There was nothing special about it. You've got to put in the work every day and try to get better. We prided ourselves there on that, and that's what I've tried to take here."

Emanuel turned 24 Sunday.

He is older than most rookies. His maturity rivals some veterans.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano told him Saturday morning that, after a nice start Thursday, he was proud of him. He added that he'd make sure Emanuel stayed grounded, not getting too high. It was a friendly, well-received message from coach to rookie. That said, it might not have been needed. Emanuel seems to understand it was only one exhibition game and that he is far from a finished product.

He'll keep working.

On paper, he'll do so as an underdog. That label can be crumpled up and tossed.