Jason Verrett to make Chargers debut

Jason Verrett waited a long time for this.

After watching him practice, so have the Chargers.

Their first-round cornerback will play his first NFL game Sunday against the 49ers, sources said. He missed the first two exhibitions, eased back from March shoulder surgery. The debut comes practically in his backyard, as Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is about an hour south of Fairfield, his hometown.

A good amount of anticipation surrounds Verrett.

He missed the spring due to a posterior labral tear suffered in college. When he began practicing last month in training camp, it didn’t take long for him to acclimate. He has impressed coaches, the front office and teammates, cornerback Brandon Flowers among the veterans awaiting the debut.

“He sticks in coverage,” Flowers said. “He’s a playmaker. He has that ‘want to’ in his eyes. I’ve been around a lot of cornerbacks in my days, from old guys to young guys. He wants to be the one to make a play. He’s not going to shy away from it like, ‘I hope the quarterback doesn’t throw my way on third down.’ He wants the quarterback to throw his way on third down.

“Just having that ‘want to,’ his athleticism, I can’t wait to see him when the lights come on.”

Flowers acknowledged no evaluation can be finalized until a player steps on the field.

But generally, he can feel about 85 percent certain about a player before that time comes. Verrett, a two-time All-American at TCU, was drafted No. 25 overall in May.

“That guy, I’m going to be in his corner all the time,” Flowers said. “Just his technique, his speed, the way he moves and turns, it’s unreal. He has a gift a lot of guys don’t have. Not to put too much pressure on him, but I think he’ll be a player.”