Chargers find specific fits into their roster puzzle with Day 2 picks of Harris, Caldwell

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — For the Los Angeles Chargers, Day 2 of the draft was about addressing needs, both on a broad level and a specific level.

The Chargers selected Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris at No. 55 overall in the second round, and they selected Oregon defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell at No. 86 overall in the third round. From a 10,000-foot view, these two players add requisite talent to position groups that were lacking.

Receiver Ladd McConkey emerged as a star in his rookie season. Heading into the draft, the Chargers had Quentin Johnston and Mike Williams behind McConkey on the depth chart. Johnston remains a work in progress entering his third NFL season. Williams will turn 31 in October and caught just 21 passes in 18 games last season with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Harris makes this room better.

The Chargers lost two interior defensive line starters in free agency between Poona Ford and Morgan Fox. They filled those roster spots with two cheap signings in Da’Shawn Hand and Naquan Jones. Heading into the draft, the Chargers had good depth at this position. They were missing a potential difference-maker, particularly in the pass rush. Caldwell makes this room better.

Zoom in for a closer look, and the detailed contours of these picks become clearer. Because how exactly Harris and Caldwell fit into their respective rooms and units is just as important as the injection of talent they provide.

Harris is a natural complement to McConkey, who was at his most productive last season when dicing up opposing defenses out of the slot. McConkey finished second in the NFL in slot receiving yards last season with 761, according to TruMedia. He is already an elite route runner, and he is surgical when he can align inside with the option to break in either direction. As the 2024 season progressed, though, opposing defenses started rolling their coverages to McConkey. He was very obviously the Chargers’ best receiving option. McConkey saw double teams and even triple teams. And that absence of a viable secondary option on the outside led to stagnant stretches for the passing game.

The Chargers had to add an outside receiver who could stress the defense vertically and take some attention away from McConkey over the middle of the field. That is the essence of Harris’ game. He is not a straight-line burner necessarily. Harris ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine. However, he still able to surge past defensive backs with long, smooth strides. And at over 6-foot-2 with a 38.5-inch vertical, he can win over the top of defenders in 50-50 situations with his leaping ability and ball skills. He profiles as a true X receiver, which is a position that often aligns in isolated looks against press-man corners.

“He’s a big, physical guy with radius and strength and body control,” general manager Joe Hortiz said.

Johnston has the frame and athletic measurables to play X. But his skillset is not a fit for that position. He is still developing his releases off the line of scrimmage. He is poor in contested-catch situations.

The Chargers signed DJ Chark to fill their X role in 2024, but he missed half the year after a training camp injury and was a non-factor. Now the the Chargers have taken two stabs on players who can play this position. And, more importantly, they have added two players — Williams and Harris — who can win in contested-catch situations down the field. This is an important skillet to have with Justin Herbert at quarterback. Herbert has tremendous arm strength and should have options to push the ball downfield on virtually every passing play. An offense can achieve that with speed. An offense can also achieve that with ball-winners.

“They’re definitely looking for a guy who’s going to run downfield and make plays downfield,” Harris said. “A guy who’s going to make the big plays, especially those vertical plays. With Justin Herbert, he’s one of the best passers in the league. He’s always constantly looking for stretch the field. They’re looking for a guy, and I definitely feel like I fit that mold.”

The Chargers had three receivers with at least 50 targets last season: McConkey, Johnston and Joshua Palmer, who signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency. Among the 88 receivers league-wide with at least 50 targets last season, Johnston finished 81st in contested-catch rate at 30.4 percent, according to Pro Football Focus. Palmer finished 61st at 45.5 percent. McConkey finished tied for 13th at 62.5 percent.

In his last mostly healthy season with the Chargers in 2022, Williams finished with a contested-catch percentage of 57.7 percent. Harris had a contested-catch percentage of 61.5 percent in his final season at Ole Miss.

“Weapons for Justin, guys that Justin can get the ball to, we’re very excited about that,” coach Jim Harbaugh said.

On the other side of the ball, Caldwell brings a very versatile skillset. In 2023, he played as a penetrating defensive tackle at Houston. He was asked to shoot gaps, create disruption in the backfield and rush the passer. He finished with 6.5 sacks. In 2024, Caldwell transferred to Oregon. He put on weight and played as a gap-clogging nose tackle. He was asked to anchor against double teams and be a boulder in the center of the the Ducks’ run wall. He played both of these roles at a very high level. He is a dense and powerful player at 332 pounds. But he plays with the feet of a much smaller player, with the quickness to beat offensive linemen upfield if given the opportunity.

Caldwell feels like a possible one-for-one replacement for Ford, who had a resurgent season with the Chargers in 2024 before signing with the Los Angeles Rams. Ford was able to play at an elite level because he could wear different hats for the Chargers. When he needed to, he could stand his ground against double teams in the run game. When he had opportunities to penetrate, he created havoc in the backfield. And when he saw one-on-ones in the pass rush, he could pick apart offensive linemen with his sudden short-area movements. Sound familiar?

Third-round pick Jamaree Caldwell gives the Chargers a versatile defensive lineman. (Ben Lonergan / The Register-Guard-USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Harbaugh said Caldwell was one of defensive line coach Mike Elston’s “favorite guys” in the draft. Elston was a crucial in Ford’s bounce back season in 2024. He saw upside in Ford and envisioned a role. It is no surprise he saw similar upside in Caldwell.

“He had more sack production at Houston when he was penetrating, and you see the feel, you see the agility, you see that burst when he has played in that role,” Hortiz said of Caldwell. “So we do think there’s some untapped pass rush potential with him. And then certainly the way he played at Oregon, two-gapping, always reading his nameplate, staying square, tough to move. That versatility is something that you really like, and it jumped out to our scouts and our coaches.”

The Chargers did not just add talent on Day 2. They added pieces that have a very defined fit into the roster puzzle.

Both Harris and Caldwell have developing to do, as is always the case at this stage of the draft.

They also have chances to make immediate impacts as rookies because they will be asked to play to their strengths in the roles they are filling.

“We’re very happy,” Harbaugh said. “The team got better.”

(Photo of Tre Harris: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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