It is well documented that the LA Chargers were in trade talks with the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. For whatever reason, trade talks fell through and the Chargers ended up taking UNC running back Omarion Hampton with the pick.
While Chargers fans are happy with the selection, there is an intriguing alternate reality where the Bolts traded down in the draft and stockpiled even more assets. As exciting as Hampton is, the 2025 NFL Draft was loaded with running back talent and the Bolts may have missed an opportunity to navigate the draft in a more effective way.
The biggest what-if isn't if the Chargers traded down with the Eagles, it's if the team traded down with the New York Giants, who traded up for the No. 25 pick to take quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Gianats traded the No. 34 pick, No. 99 pick and a 2026 third-round pick to move up and take who they hope is their next franchise quarterback.
While it is unclear if trade talks were ever happening with the Giants, perhaps the Chargers shouldn't have focused so much on getting a deal done with the Eagles.
What the Chargers draft class may have looked like with a Giants trade-down:
The cost for trading up to the No. 22 pick would have been the same as trading up to the No. 25 pick. Theoretically, the price of the No. 22 pick is higher but the Giants already sent enough in the trade to say that it would have been a fair price for the Chargers.
The Chargers' first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft would have been the No. 34 pick, not the No. 22 pick. This almost certainly would have resulted in Hampton getting taken by another team. While several of the teams below the Chargers didn't need running backs, he would have been too talented for a team like the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs to pass on.
Maybe there is a 10% chance Hampton would have fallen to the No. 34 pick, but it is impossible to say. What is possible to say, though, is the fact that both Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were on the board at pick No. 34.
As great as Hampton is, you could make the case that Henderson would have been an even better fit next to Najee Harris because of his impact in the passing game. Either way, the Chargers would have gotten a running back who could be just as impactful as Hampton will be in our real reality.
The Chargers also would have added the No. 99 pick, which would have created several exciting possibilities. Los Angeles could have leveraged that pick for even more picks, but also could have used it to draft an exciting player in a position of need.
Perhaps the team would have taken tight end earlier than it did with Texas' Gunnar Helm. Even more exciting, though, would have been the possibility of waiting on Jamaree Caldwell for the No. 99 pick and instead taking center prospect Jared Wilson with the No. 86 pick.
Even if it wasn't Wilson, the Chargers could have drafted Michigan's Josiah Stewart, allowing the team to take a different position in round four (although Kyle Kennard is a very exciting prospect in his own right).
Whatever the route would have been, the Chargers would have opened so many doors by trading back with the Giants while also picking up valuable draft capital in 2026 as well.