The entire picture of a team's draft class doesn't fully develop for multiple years. Sometimes draft classes are great right away, sometimes they take years to develop. Six months after the LA Chargers took nine players in the 2025 NFL Draft, we're starting to get an idea on how the class will develop.
That's not to say this 2025 class is a finished product. Making career-long assumptions about a player based on half a season's worth of data is unfair. However, with actual NFL games under their belt, a hierarchy is starting to form.
The ranking process is simple: we are weighing both the overall production/potential of each player in conjunction with where they were taken in the draft. If two players are equally productive, the player picked later will win out.
Re-ranking the Chargers' 2025 draft class:
9. Branson Taylor (pick No. 199)
Branson Taylor isn't the only Chargers draft pick from 2025 who didn't make the 53-man roster (although he is on the practice squad). It's actually not that uncommon for a sixth or seventh-round pick to be cut by the team before the start of the regular season.
What makes the Taylor selection all the more frustrating is the current status of the offensive line. Injuries have hit the Chargers hard and have exposed the lack of quality depth in the offensive line room.
The Chargers could have found a productive depth offensive lineman this late in the draft, they recently did it with Jamaree Salyer. Instead, they drafted someone who stunk in the preseason and hasn't gotten a shot at the NFL roster despite the laundry list of injuries.
8. Trikweze Bridges (pick No. 256)
Trikweze Bridges had one of the worst preseasons of any defensive back in the NFL. He was cut from the Chargers' 53-man roster and the team seemingly had no interest in bringing him back on the practice squad.
But what can you really expect out of the second-to-last pick in the entire draft? Bridges was always going to have an uphill battle in making the roster, and missing out on this pick is no different than missing on a UDFA.
7. Kyle Kennard (pick No. 125)
I may as well have been the President of the Kyle Kennard fan club after the 2025 NFL Draft. It appeared as if the Chargers landed an absolute steal in the fourth round. After all, the track record for the reigning SEC Defensive Players of the Year has been excellent.
Kennard has been a total non-factor. The rookie edge rusher hasn't been called on despite Khalil Mack's early-season injury. He's played a grand total of 25 defensive snaps, which is less than half of what Odafe Oweh has played for the Bolts. Oweh joined the Chargers via trade after Week 5.
Maybe Kennard will still blossom into something down the line. But there's no information to go off of.
6. R.J. Mickens (pick No. 214)
This one is tough because R.J. Mickens hasn't been great in the Chargers' two games since trading Alohi Gilman. However, the Chargers' belief in Mickens as a productive player factored into the decision to trade Gilman, so that certainly must be considered.
Mickens has had some predictable rookie growing pains, but he still has all the makings of developing into a legitimate above-average safety. Of all the rankings on this list, Mickens has the most room for growth, even in the 2025 season.
5. Tre' Harris (pick No. 55)
This is going to be a controversial ranking. Second-round pick Tre' Harris was arguably the most anticipated player in this draft class. Fans were convinced the Chargers landed an absolute steal in the second round who would play a big role in 2025.
Harris has had flashes this season and he certainly has a lot of potential. But in the grand scheme of things, the Chargers didn't need Harris this season, and there may have been a better use of the second-round pick.
The Chargers have been fine with the top three of Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Sure, Harris provides long-term depth, but McConkey and Johnston are both young and the Chargers could always get young wide receivers in future drafts (or in later rounds, which they literally did in this draft class).
Harris is a fine player and this is by no means a take-down of his long-term potential. He has the makings of being a productive player. But the Chargers would have gotten more out of this valuable pick if it were a lineman or a defensive player.
4. KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Pick No. 158)
Harris has done more in the regular season as KeAndre Lambert-Smith hasn't played much. However, after the preseason, KLS was the wideout every fan was talking about, not Harris.
Lambert-Smith has exciting upside as a deep-ball option of the future for the Chargers. He may not be needed right now, but there would be full confidence in KLS if he had to play a more important role for the Chargers at any point this season.
And this is why you can make the case for Harris being ranked at five despite being a second-round pick. The Chargers could have used that selection and would have still landed a young wideout with potential (with a similar ceiling, arguably) in KLS.
3. Jamaree Caldwell (pick No. 86)
Jamaree Caldwell has been a menace for the Chargers on the defensive line. It hasn't been all perfect for the rookie nose tackle but he is showcasing all the necessary skills to develop into a truly impactful nose tackle who can carve out a long career in this league.
Caldwell has posted an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 65.0 this season while thriving against the run. His 73.3 run defense grade ranks 17th among 196 defensive linemen this season. Not shabby for a rookie.
Nose tackle may not be the most exciting position to take in the NFL Draft but the Chargers can sleep easy knowing they got a good one in Caldwell.
2. Omarion Hampton (pick No. 22)
Omarion Hampton is the most talented player in the Chargers' draft class from top to bottom. That checks out, considering he was the team's first-round pick and was arguably the best player available on the board when he was taken.
It didn't take long for Hampton to show his upside as a runner for years to come. Unfortunately, it also didn't take long for him to suffer his first injury of the season, which landed him on the IR. It initially appeared as if he wouldn't miss much time, but now, there's no telling when Hampton will come back.
That injury doesn't change the fact that Hampton is an extremely talented running back and was worthy of a first-round pick. Chargers fans just have to hope this injury isn't a sign of things to come.
1. Oronde Gadsden II (pick No. 165)
Am I a bit overexcited after Oronde Gadsden II's incredible performance against the Indianapolis Colts? Maybe. But this breakout performance didn't come out of nowhere. The signs have been there all along with Gadsden.
Gadsden stood out during rookie minicamp. Then he stood out during training camp. Then he stood out during the preseason. And despite all this, he didn't actually play early in the season until Will Dissly suffered an injury.
Now, just seven weeks into his rookie season, Gadsden has emerged as the best pass-catching tight end on the roster and he might just be TE1 moving forward. It's not an overreaction to say the Chargers may have drafted an above-average pass-catching tight end in the fifth round. The value is exceptional.
Gadsden is at 22 catches for 308 yards with a touchdown, which is already among the most impressive rookie seasons. It becomes veen more impressive when you realize he's only played five games and is at 55% of the team's offensive snaps.
From a pure value standpoint, Gadsden is the best pick the Chargers made in the 2025 NFL Draft. And it might not be close.