NFL.com has released plenty of mock drafts throughout the first few weeks of draft season starting up. With the Chargers being out of the playoffs and looking towards this 2025 off-season, these mock drafts give fans insight into players who may be selected by the Bolts in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The latest mock draft released by the NFL is one by analytics expert, Cynthia Frelund. Her approach to what the Chargers do with their selection at 22 is very different from most individuals in the draft community.
Who Do The Chargers Usually Take in 2025 NFL Mock Drafts?
The most common selection in recent mock drafts is the selection of Michigan Tight End, Colston Loveland. This makes way too much sense for the Chargers due to their major need for a tight end who possesses his exact skillset and his resounding connection with former Michigan Head Coach now Chargers Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh.
Frelund has a different train of thought, as Loveland was sniped by the divisional rival Denver Broncos at pick 20, disallowing the Chargers to select him a few picks later. She instead has her Chargers mock draft selection as Michigan EDGE rusher, Josaiah Stewart.
Her excerpt for the selection:
“Don’t let the size (6-1, 245) fool you; the metrics that matter are all there for Stewart. Burst? Check. Run stopping? Check. … You get it. The Michigan product hits all the crucial benchmarks for an edge rusher, and in this simulation, he reunites with Jim Harbaugh.”
NFL Reporter Has Chargers Taking Surprising Selection in Latest Mock Draft
Stewart has already garnered plenty of hype to be selected by the Chargers in the 2025 NFL draft. This is because he has the same coaching connection as Loveland has, and the Chargers also have a need for a player of his exact skillset.
This skill set is the ability to rush the passer using speed, while still being the prominent run defender that the team requires out of their EDGEs. The Chargers currently have no speed off the EDGE on their roster, and by drafting Stewart it would give them a young, speedy rusher that they can pair with former Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, Tuli Tuipolotu.
However, the difference between taking Stewart in the first round and taking Loveland in the first round is that Loveland has been going in the first round of mock drafts since last season, and Stewart has just recently earned himself the chance to be a day-two selection. He currently ranks 81 on the NFL Mock Draft Consensus Board with a peak of 58. So this talk about him being a top-25 selection in the 2025 NFL draft is out of left field and would stun Chargers fans if this scenario played if the 2025 NFL draft was tonight.
Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart is explosive
(@SSN_Michigan / @josaiah_stewart)
pic.twitter.com/YiYTSljSGp— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) January 28, 2025
Who Else Was On The Board?
Frelund still had plenty of talented players on the board that would have fit the Chargers. The selection of Stewart was not a thought of desperation or lack of talent left on the board.
A few names left on the board that could have been considered and likely more welcomed by Chargers fans are Michigan’s uber-athletic nose tackle, Kenneth Grant, the extremely versatile North Dakota State Lineman, Grey Zabel, the Senior Bowl Standout Shemar Stewart, and Texas Offensive Lineman, Kelvin Banks Jr.
If the Chargers were to select J. Stewart in the first round, it would likely put a lot of Chargers fans in shock, but selecting the Michigan EDGE rusher could still be a good option. J. Stewart is a talented prospect in his own right and definitely should be considered as a fit for the Chargers on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
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