Weeks of speculation are coming to a head on Thursday night during the 2025 NFL Draft. After a disappointing showing in NFL free agency, Chargers fans are hoping the Bolts take a big swing in the draft to improve the team's Super Bowl chances.
There is only so much the Chargers can do with the No. 22 pick. After all, the Chargers are directly dependent on the 21 teams that will pick before them in the first round. All that being said, the Chargers can still put together a decent draft class.
Using ESPN's Mock Draft Simulator, we compiled our last Chargers mock draft of the year before the event officially begins. In the mock, the Chargers make the pick of the entire draft and it comes outside of the first round.
7-round Chargers mock draft:
Pick | Player |
|---|---|
Round 1, No. 22 overall: | EDGE Shemar Stewart |
Round 2, No. 55 overall: | WR Jayden Higgins |
Round 3, No. 86 overall: | RB Dylan Sampson |
Round 4, No. 125 overall: | CB Quincy Riley |
Round 5, No. 158 overall: | TE Mitchell Evans |
Round 6, No. 181 overall: | OL Jackson Slater |
Round 6, No. 199 overall: | DT Ty Hamilton |
Round 6, No. 209 overall: | OL Jonah Monheim |
Round 6, No. 214 overall: | S Malik Verdon |
Round 7, No. 256 overall: | QB Kurtis Rourke |
The Chargers start this draft going with the chalk. Betting markets point to the Chargers taking an interior defensive lineman or edge rusher with the No. 22 pick and here, the team takes Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart.
Stewart is one of the biggest standouts from the NFL Combine and would fit nicely in the Chargers' edge rusher rotation. While he is green in some areas, Stewart has the athletic traits to legitimately blossom into one of the best edge rushers in the sport.
The former Aggie would start out in a rotational role in which he plays around 50% of the team's defensive snaps. Long-term, though, Stewart can be the anchor of the defensive line in Los Angeles.
The biggest pick of this Chargers mock draft isn't Stewart, it's Jayden Higgins. There is no guarantee Higgins is available at pick No. 55 but if he is, he would be a no-brainer for the Chargers.
It is impossible to teach the blend of size and speed Higgins has. Higgins would pencil in as the Chargers' long-term boundary receiver to pair alongside Ladd McConkey. There is a lot to love about Higgins, and he may end up going early in the second round, but if he somehow falls there is no other direction for the Bolts to go.
Dylan Sampson shores up the running back room in the third round to serve as the change-of-pace, complementary back to Najee Harris. Sampson is a capable pass-blocker and has more potential than his numbers indicate as a pass-catching weapon. He would be great to pair alongside Harris.
Quincy Riley could end up being the classic rookie who is a healthy scratch but gets taken anyway because of his tremendous long-term upside. Mitchell Evans has a higher floor, with a much lower ceiling, but is the best in-line blocker the Bolts can take at tight end outside of the first round.
Jackson Slater and Jonah Monheim both serve as day-three picks who provide versatility on the offensive line. Finding depth pieces that can line up anywhere on the interior is important and that is what the Bolts would do here.
Ty Hamilton is a capable run defender who, at the worst, should be a rotational defensive tackle for several years. Malik Verdon is a complete dart throw as his production was disappointing but his traits are fantastic.
The Chargers can afford to use a pick on a quarterback and that is what the team does with Kurtis Rourke in the seventh round. In a perfect world, Rourke could be the long-term backup to Justin Herbert.