Two Chargers Defenders Named ESPN’s Most Important Sophomores for 2025

Still received more national recognition for his performance in 2024 due to his four interceptions, which tied for the fifth-most in the league, but Hart had a standout season as well. He served as the CB1 for much of the season and still performed well in that role, allowing just 5.4 yards per target last season, the third-best figure among outside corners in 2024, per Next Gen Stats.

As CB1, Hart stepped up against some of the league's toughest covers. Below is a clip of him matched against Calvin Ridley on a free release, a dangerous situation for any young cornerback. Hart stays on top of Ridley through the route, and his physicality as Ridley tries to break back to the ball causes the throw to come out late and results in a PBU.

Hart excels as a man cornerback, yet he still performed well in defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s zone-heavy scheme, using his remarkable athleticism at 6’3" to break on throws early and often. 

Still’s 2024 season can’t be talked about enough, either. He had an extremely impressive year, transitioning from nickel to boundary cornerback in Week 6 after spending all of training camp and the start of the season playing inside. Despite lacking experience at the position, he still managed to excel outside. From when he moved to the boundary in Week 6 onward, Still allowed a passer rating of 79.3, the 14th-best mark in the league during that period, according to PFF.

The cutup below perfectly highlights Still’s immense talent against some elite players. His most noteworthy play might be at 0:27, as the deep half defender against Ja’Maar Chase. Burrow thinks Still is dead in the water when he sees his hips still facing inside as Chase reaches the top of the route, but Still manages to flip around and break on the throw, stopping what could have been a huge completion.

Having two young, elite talents at cornerback heading into 2025 will be crucial for the Chargers to finally make a postseason run. The offense still needs to improve for this to happen, but if Still and Hart stay healthy, fans can be confident that the defense will hold up their end of the bargain in January.