Possible Draft Trade Partners for Chargers
The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us. The Los Angeles Chargers, after a great draft in 2024, look to continue building their roster through the draft this season. After making the playoffs last season, the Chargers find themselves sitting at pick 22 in the first round. This territory for Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh is very intriguing as it allows the Bolts to pick the best player available at 22 and can fill any holes at a position.
However, value is so important when going through a draft. Every year, teams see a player they value highly starts to slip. This starts to beg the question to front offices if trading up for a player is worth it. For the Chargers’ sake, at 22 and a lot of picks, they can be a threat to trade up for a player they have graded highly. If players like Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Ashton Jeanty, or Tetairoa McMillan are being passed by teams, the Chargers could be enticed to trade up to get their guy. Possible trade partners could be the Seattle Seahawks, who are at pick 18, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 19. Trading up in the first round is usually expensive, but the Chargers are in a unique situation where trading up three to four spots would not be breaking the bank. A trade could be at pick 22, a future third-round pick and a fourth-round pick from this year could do the trick. Trading to 18 or 19 also means jumping division rival Denver Broncos in the draft, who have similar offensive needs.
The beauty of 22 means the Chargers can be very flexible with what they want to do. Trading back to the later parts of the draft is also very possible. If the options at 22 are not what Hortiz was hoping for, he can trade back and get extra picks to use. Teams that could be interested in a trade-up could be the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, or the Super Bowl defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Trade packages with any of these teams could possibly mean the Chargers can end up with an extra third or fourth-round pick in this year's draft.
Anything can happen. The Chargers could even just let the chips fall and select the best player on their board at pick 22. However, a trade-out of 22 could not be ruled out. The 2025 NFL Draft begins on April 24th.
