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My one and only seven round mock draft got blown up pretty quickly on Thursday night when the Dolphins took Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 13 overall. Los Angeles took North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton at No. 22 instead, effectively rendering the selection of Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo at No. 86 in the mock draft obsolete.
Second rounder Elijah Arroyo was also taken before the Chargers came onto the clock, as the former Miami tight end went No. 50 to the Seahawks. LA instead took Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris at No. 55.
With so many changes, let's take a second crack at predicting what the Chargers could do on Day 3.
Round 4, Pick 125: Boston College C Drew Kendall
Sticking with Kendall here as the potential center of the future for LA. Georgia's Jared Wilson didn't come off the board until the late third round and Purdue guard/center Marcus Mbow is still available coming into Saturday. But with Mbow, Ohio State's Seth McLaughlin, and Sacramento State guard/center Jackson Slater, and Kendall all hovering in a similar range, there could be a run on interior linemen to open the fourth round. The Chargers would do well to snag Kendall, who offensive line coach Mike Devlin visited at Boston College's pro day, before missing out on the whole group before they come up again at No. 158.
Round 5, Pick 158: Alabama EDGE Que Robinson
Robinson had only 5.5 career sacks to his name while buried on the defensive depth chart at Alabama, but that lack of defensive impact was offset by a huge role on special teams - he had 15 tackles on special teams units while working on all four units. Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken likes to have an edge who can play special teams: last season it was Tuli Tuipulotu, who was second on the entire team with 363 special teams snaps. With Tuipulotu stepping into a bigger defensive role as EDGE2 and veteran Bud Dupree offering little special teams value, Ficken will want a player who can perform that role. Robinson, a former top 100 recruit, also has the upside to develop into a legitimate contributing force off the edge.
Round 6, Pick 181: Oklahoma State CB Korie Black
Nothing has happened yet to make me move off Black, an underhyped cornerback in the Day 3 conversation. Corners haven't come off the board as quickly as some thought they would, with consensus top-150 prospects Quincy Riley, Dorian Strong, Cobee Bryant, Denzel Burke, and Zy Alexander all still available heading into Saturday. While The Athletic's Dane Brugler has a fifth round grade on Black, the talent remaining on the board seems to suggest he could slip to LA's pick here.
Round 6, Pick 199: Notre Dame IDL Rylie Mills
While LA addressed the defensive line with their third-round selection of Oregon defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell, adding another body to the rotation could well be in order. Mills will likely redshirt the 2025 season after tearing his ACL in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but he brings a pass-rushing element from the interior when healthy that the Chargers did not quite add fully in Caldwell. Chargers defensive line coach Mike Elston was Mills' primary recruiter at Notre Dame before moving on to Michigan, and that relationship could very well inform LA's comfort level with Mills coming back from injury to make a dent in 2026 and beyond.
Round 6, Pick 209: Texas Tech TE Jalin Conyers
Chargers Wire learned at January's East-West Shrine Bowl that the team told Conyers that they need a tight end during their meeting at the event in Frisco, but LA has yet to select one through the first two days of the draft. With four sixth-round picks, that selection is likely to be a developmental choice that will play behind Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly in 2025. Conyers, who also played basketball before stops at Oklahoma and Arizona State, has the athleticism to mature into a solid no. 2 TE with skills as a blocker and receiver.
Round 6, Pick 214: Washington State OT Esa Pole
The Chargers' depth at tackle behind Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater is nearly catastrophic. Trey Pipkins will be the swing tackle if he doesn't win the left guard job, but none of his competitors - Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Andre James - are capable of playing tackle. The only other option LA has is 2024 UDFA Tyler McLellan, who suffered a season-ending injury last preseason.
Pole didn't start playing organized football until 2021, as his guardian and cousin did not allow him to play football in high school. Instead, Pole played basketball, but was not recruited on the hardwood and eventually found his way onto the gridiron at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. Drafting him would be betting completely on tools, but LA hopes that any backup behind Slater and Alt won't have to play much in the coming years.
Round 7, Pick 256: Nevada S Kitan Crawford
With Pole in the updated version of this mock, there's not a roster spot for Montana State guard Marcus Wehr, who occupied this spot in the seven-round version. Los Angeles needs to add a safety to compete for the fourth spot with Tony Jefferson, and Crawford has ample special teams experience and tested extremely well at the NFL Combine. Another former four-star recruit, Crawford went to Texas before transferring to Nevada in 2024 for the opportunity to start at safety, where he played primarily deep and in the nickel.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Chargers add special teams contributors in Day 3 mock
Continue reading...
Second rounder Elijah Arroyo was also taken before the Chargers came onto the clock, as the former Miami tight end went No. 50 to the Seahawks. LA instead took Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris at No. 55.
With so many changes, let's take a second crack at predicting what the Chargers could do on Day 3.
Round 4, Pick 125: Boston College C Drew Kendall
Sticking with Kendall here as the potential center of the future for LA. Georgia's Jared Wilson didn't come off the board until the late third round and Purdue guard/center Marcus Mbow is still available coming into Saturday. But with Mbow, Ohio State's Seth McLaughlin, and Sacramento State guard/center Jackson Slater, and Kendall all hovering in a similar range, there could be a run on interior linemen to open the fourth round. The Chargers would do well to snag Kendall, who offensive line coach Mike Devlin visited at Boston College's pro day, before missing out on the whole group before they come up again at No. 158.
Round 5, Pick 158: Alabama EDGE Que Robinson
Robinson had only 5.5 career sacks to his name while buried on the defensive depth chart at Alabama, but that lack of defensive impact was offset by a huge role on special teams - he had 15 tackles on special teams units while working on all four units. Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken likes to have an edge who can play special teams: last season it was Tuli Tuipulotu, who was second on the entire team with 363 special teams snaps. With Tuipulotu stepping into a bigger defensive role as EDGE2 and veteran Bud Dupree offering little special teams value, Ficken will want a player who can perform that role. Robinson, a former top 100 recruit, also has the upside to develop into a legitimate contributing force off the edge.
Round 6, Pick 181: Oklahoma State CB Korie Black
Nothing has happened yet to make me move off Black, an underhyped cornerback in the Day 3 conversation. Corners haven't come off the board as quickly as some thought they would, with consensus top-150 prospects Quincy Riley, Dorian Strong, Cobee Bryant, Denzel Burke, and Zy Alexander all still available heading into Saturday. While The Athletic's Dane Brugler has a fifth round grade on Black, the talent remaining on the board seems to suggest he could slip to LA's pick here.
Round 6, Pick 199: Notre Dame IDL Rylie Mills
While LA addressed the defensive line with their third-round selection of Oregon defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell, adding another body to the rotation could well be in order. Mills will likely redshirt the 2025 season after tearing his ACL in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but he brings a pass-rushing element from the interior when healthy that the Chargers did not quite add fully in Caldwell. Chargers defensive line coach Mike Elston was Mills' primary recruiter at Notre Dame before moving on to Michigan, and that relationship could very well inform LA's comfort level with Mills coming back from injury to make a dent in 2026 and beyond.
Round 6, Pick 209: Texas Tech TE Jalin Conyers
Chargers Wire learned at January's East-West Shrine Bowl that the team told Conyers that they need a tight end during their meeting at the event in Frisco, but LA has yet to select one through the first two days of the draft. With four sixth-round picks, that selection is likely to be a developmental choice that will play behind Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly in 2025. Conyers, who also played basketball before stops at Oklahoma and Arizona State, has the athleticism to mature into a solid no. 2 TE with skills as a blocker and receiver.
Round 6, Pick 214: Washington State OT Esa Pole
The Chargers' depth at tackle behind Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater is nearly catastrophic. Trey Pipkins will be the swing tackle if he doesn't win the left guard job, but none of his competitors - Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Andre James - are capable of playing tackle. The only other option LA has is 2024 UDFA Tyler McLellan, who suffered a season-ending injury last preseason.
Pole didn't start playing organized football until 2021, as his guardian and cousin did not allow him to play football in high school. Instead, Pole played basketball, but was not recruited on the hardwood and eventually found his way onto the gridiron at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. Drafting him would be betting completely on tools, but LA hopes that any backup behind Slater and Alt won't have to play much in the coming years.
Round 7, Pick 256: Nevada S Kitan Crawford
With Pole in the updated version of this mock, there's not a roster spot for Montana State guard Marcus Wehr, who occupied this spot in the seven-round version. Los Angeles needs to add a safety to compete for the fourth spot with Tony Jefferson, and Crawford has ample special teams experience and tested extremely well at the NFL Combine. Another former four-star recruit, Crawford went to Texas before transferring to Nevada in 2024 for the opportunity to start at safety, where he played primarily deep and in the nickel.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Chargers add special teams contributors in Day 3 mock
Continue reading...
