The Chargers went in relatively expected directions with their round two and three selections on Friday evening. Ole Miss WR Tre Harris was taken with the 55th pick while the Chargers took Oregon NT Jamaree Caldwell in the third round. In my mock draft before day two after the Omarion Hampton selection, I did actually predict Harris in the second round as a fit for the team and a diffent defensive tackle in round three. Technically, the Chargers set themselves up in free agency to be able to take BPA at anytime. But WR and TE did stick out quite a bit as their needs.
GM Joe Hortiz and HC Jim Harbaugh explained the rationale behind both selections in a post-draft press conference.
Harbaugh had this to say about Harris:
"Strong, tough. Really good route runner," Harbaugh started. "Scores the ball. Of all the receivers in college football for a career, he's 29 (touchdowns). Up there, maybe third highest of all receivers. Precision route running."
Harbaugh also said that Harris is another "weapon for Justin (Herbert)". To me, that's a pretty good indicator that they expect him to contribute in their offense pretty quickly. As far as their prototypical X guys on the outside, Harris and free agent signing Mike Williams now fit the quota.
Hortiz also referenced how differently Harris thinks about the game given his background. At Ovey Comeaux in high school, Harris played quarterback before converting to receiver. One of his teammate's was even LSU and Giants wideout Malik Nabers.
Chargers GM Joe Hortiz brought up Tre Harris' former high school quarterback background and that it came across with his intelligence in interviews.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) April 26, 2025
"How smart he was. You can tell he thinks like a quarterback."
Hortiz and Harbaugh both said that the team discussed trading up in the war room when they weren't sure Harris would make it to pick #55. Harbaugh specifically mentioned that it was President of Football Operations John Spanos who convinced them to stick at #55, knowing Harris would be available without the team needing to trade up.
Hortiz gave a pretty glowing review of Oregon's Jamaree Caldwell. He admitted that he went to two games last year to be able to watch him, as well as other Oregon players the Chargers were monitoring.
"I saw Jamaree play twice this year. Once vs. Michigan in Ann Arbor, and then the Rose Bowl," Hortiz stated. "Some of the plays when you're watching film of him, when you just see him toss bodies. It's really impressive. He does a really good job of playing square. Physical, strikes with his hands. He's got feel. And he's a big man, quick feet. When you think about the players and what you envision, that's what you see when you're not watching film. The plays that roll through your head, man his foot quickness is so good. His ability to tear off blocks, hard to move off the point."
Harbaugh specifically pointed out that the Chargers believe in Caldwell's versatility, even if he is pegged as a nose tackle on the bigger side.
"When you're in base, he can play the nose," Harbaugh said. "When you're in the nickel front, he needs to be a 3 (tech)."
"Provides that run stopping ability, plus that pass rush-that makes that defensive tackle a 3 down player."