The 2025 NFL Draft will be an instrumental tool for the LA Chargers' team-building process this offseason. Los Angeles is a few key pieces away from being a true Super Bowl contender and may find some of those pieces in the draft.
General manager Joe Hortiz put together an exceptional draft class in his first year with the team in 2024. One year later, the hope is that Hortiz can strike gold twice and put together a class full of players who are impactful in year one.
That is easier said than done with the team having the 22nd pick instead of the fifth pick in the first round. The Chargers could have had one of several exceptional players with the fifth pick, whereas the 22nd pick is more of a crapshoot.
There have been many predictions about what the Chargers may do in the draft with Daniel Jeremiah recently exploring a new possibility. The NFL Network draft analyst, and color commentator for Chargers radio, has the Bolts selecting North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton in the first round.
"The Chargers desperately need to give Justin Herbert more offensive firepower. Hampton would hit a lot of home runs in this offensive system. "Daniel Jeremiah
Chargers draft Omarion Hampton, but just miss out on true dream scenario
With several other potential first-round targets off the board in Jeremiah's mock draft, the Chargers turn to one of the best running backs in the class, Omarion Hampton. There is no denying how talented Hampton is but it may be a slight disappointment if the Chargers take a running back in round one.
There is one obvious exception to that rule in Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty is the best running back prospect in the draft since Saquon Barkley and is about as much of a sure-fire prospect as there could be.
Many expect Jeanty to go in the first half of the first round but not Jeremiah. Jeremiah has Jeanty going 21st overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which would be a brutal turn of events for the Chargers.
Jeanty is a true foundational pillar who could bolster the Chargers' offense in ways nobody else in the class could. As great as Hampton was for UNC, he does not compare to Jeanty and the season he put together for Boise State.
If Jeanty did somehow fall outside the top 20 it would not be surprising if the Chargers traded draft capital to move up and take him. He would fit perfectly on a Jim Harbaugh coached team, and as the Bolts proved last year with Ladd McConkey, they will move up for players they like.
Hampton may play the same position but taking him with the 22nd pick may be a disappointment to many. Running back is far from the biggest need on the Chargers, especially with J.K. Dobbins likely coming back, so it only makes sense for the team to take a back in round one if it is a generational player.
Jeanty is a generational prospect. Hampton is a very promising prospect, but he is not quite on that same level.