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Re-Grading the Los Angeles Chargers 2025 Draft

Originally posted on Football Analysis | By Aaron Sauter | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 12:26 AM ET

During the 2025 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers, led by Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, intended on building a physical team identity. Despite Los Angeles fans clamoring for Los Angeles to draft an explosive wide receiver, Harbaugh prioritized building a strong ground game and winning in the trenches. Although later in the draft, Los Angeles selected a wide receiver who has shown potential to become a consistent playmaker.

Based on the Chargers’ 2025 season results, Harbaugh accomplished his goal of strengthening the Chargers’ running game. While the Chargers’ first-round draft pick running back Omarion Hampton dealt with several injuries, Hampton did show flashes of his potential to be a dominant back for the Chargers. Los Angeles also found a diamond in the rough in tight end Oronde Gadsden II, and the reinforced line made Los Angeles a difficult team to play against week to week.

Los Angeles Chargers 2025 Draft Class

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	22	Omarion Hampton	RB	North Carolina
2	55	Tre Harris	WR	Ole Miss
3	86	Jamaree Caldwell	DT	Oregon
4	125	Kyle Kennard	EDGE	South Carolina
5	158	KeAndre Lambert-Smith	WR	Auburn
5	165	Oronde Gadsden II	TE	Syracuse
6	199	Branson Taylor	OL	Pittsburgh
6	214	RJ Mickens	S	Clemson
7	256	Trikweze Bridges	DB	Florida

The Chargers drafted running back Omarion Hampton, intending for the rookie running back to establish himself as an explosive playmaker for the Chargers’ offense. However, Hampton spent several weeks on the injured list and played in only 9 games in 2025. On the other hand, in those 9 games, Hampton produced 545 rushing yards and scored 4 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Tre Harris ended up filling a support role in the passing game, intended to take attention away from Ladd McConkey. Harris ended up catching 30 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, Los Angeles also added defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell and edge rusher Kyle Kennard, both of whom found active roles on the Chargers’ defense.

Los Angeles 2025 Draft Re-Grade = B-

Ultimately, the Chargers’ 2025 draft class helped Harbaugh fulfill his vision of becoming a more physical offense with a dominant running game. Hampton entered the NFL with the potential to be an explosive playmaker for the Los Angeles offense, but injuries limited his impact. For the rest of the Chargers’ 2025 draft class, the Chargers failed to find regular contributors on the defensive side of the ball. As long as the Chargers young players continue to develop into more consistent playmakers, the Chargers 2025 set the stage for a big 2026 NFL draft that will allow Los Angeles to get another step closer to winning the AFC West.

This article first appeared on Football Analysis and was syndicated with permission.

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