The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner and it is a lot tougher to pinpoint what the LA Chargers are going to do this time around. Not only is there more variance in having the 22nd pick, but the Chargers have done a good job at filling roster holes so they can draft the best player available at every turn.
Who the best player available will be all depends on the 31 other teams in the draft. While the Bolts aren't going to end up with the best-case prospect at every turn, there are realistic names in each of the seven rounds that Chargers fans should be circling as potential options.
The best prospect the Chargers can select in each round of the 2025 NFL Draft:
Round 1: Michigan tight end Colston Loveland
This is the first-round prospect that just about every Chargers fan wants to see. Loveland is one of the 10 most-talented prospects in this draft class yet there is a real chance he could fall to the 22nd pick.
Positional value at tight end is part of the reason, as are potential concerns about his medicals. Those medical concerns appear to be overblown and could end up helping the Chargers in hte long run if Loveland falls to 22.
Loveland checks every box of being a Chargers first-round draft pick. He would be the best player available, plays in a major position of need and has direct ties to Jim Harbaugh.
Round 2: Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson
Ohio State's TreyVeyon Henderson is someone who Chargers fans are very familiar with heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Henderson stands out in what is a deep running back draft class as the perfect complementary piece to play alongside Najee Harris.
Harris would serve as the bruising, physical back while Henderson would provide value in the passing game (both as a weapon and as a blocker). The Chargers would essentially create their version of the Detroit Lions duo that has been so successful.
Henderson is the best-case prospect to take in the second round but there is no guarantee he falls all the way to the 55th pick. In fact, while it is unlikely, there is a chance that an overzealous team takes him in round one.
Round 3: George offensive lineman Tate Ratledge
The Chargers made several minor offensive line additions this offseason but that should not stop the team from drafting help in 2025. Tate Ratledge is someone who would compete for a starting job right away in Los Angeles and could be a long-term starter for the team.
Traditionally a guard, Ratledge also worked out at center during the NFL Combine, showcasing his versatility. The starting left guard and center jobs are up for grabs in 2025 and it is not inconceivable at all to see Ratledge win one of those jobs.
Re-signing Bradley Bozeman and signing Andre James to a one-year deal shouldn't stop the Chargers from adding youth. If it does, it is a mistake.
Round 4: TCU wide receiver Savion Williams
A TCU wideout with spectacular athletic traits that give him a high ceiling to pair with his overall rawness in relation to his route-running and his hands. Stop me if you have heard this one before.
While it may seem unpalatable to draft a receiver with similar traits as Quentin Johnston, there is a big difference between a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick. If Savion Williams goes earlier than the fifth round because of his traits then he isn't a realistic option. In the fourth, though, he would be a flier worth taking a chance on.
At his best, Williams can develop into the athletic X receiver the Chargers need in the future. At his worst, he can provide special teams depth alongside Derius Davis as a gadget-play option. Most fourth-round picks don't even make it in the league. It would be worth the shot on the high ceiling.
Round 5: Notre Dame TE Mitchell Evans
The Chargers won't draft Mitchell Evans if the team takes Colston Loveland in the first round. That goes without saying. However, if Loveland is off the board at pick 22, Evans may be the next-best option for the Bolts all the way on day three of the draft.
Evans has Harbaugh written all over him. The Notre Dame tight end might just be the best blocking tight end outside of the first round in the draft class. With the Chargers signing a pass-catching tight end in Tyler Conklin, there may be more of an appetite to take a block-first tight end in the later rounds.
Plus, Evans is no slouch in the passing game. While he may not have a complex route tree, he does well in making catches in traffic with sure hands. Evans may be the most underrated tight end in this entire draft class and would be a great selection in day three.
Round 6: Virginia Tech EDGE Antwaun Powell-Ryland
We aren't going to sit here and pitch a sixth-round edge rusher as the next coming of Khalil Mack. While that could happen and has happened in the NFL plenty of times, expecting that kind of prospect this late in the draft is setting up for failure.
That being said, Antwaun Powell-Ryland would present the Chargers a relatively high floor out of a sixth-round pick. Powell-Ryland has done nothing but produce in college and the only reason his stock isn't higher is because of his athletic traits.
Sometimes late in the draft you have to take a chance on athletic traits. Other times, you take the player with the higher floor knowing they can provide quality depth.
Round 7: Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke
The only pick the Chargers have in the seventh round is the second-to-last pick in the draft. With what is essentially a glorified UDFA, the Chargers' best option would be to land a long-term backup quarterback who could actually be trusted.
Los Angeles has three quarterbacks on the depth chart but that should not stop the team from bringing in a younger option who could be the long-term backup. Hopefully, the Chargers would never need Kurtis Rourke to throw passes, but it is better from a team-building standpoint to have him on a rookie deal than to pay a backup quarterback every year.