Omar Navarro

Welcome to Part 6 of our 2025 draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with NFL Network draft analyst and Chargers radio color commentator Daniel Jeremiah to break down the running backs in this draft class. Jeremiah can be found on X/Twitter@MoveTheSticksfor his analysis.

Chargers status at running back

Najee Harris, Hassan Haskins, Kimani Vidal, Jaret Patterson

The Chargers running back group went through a reshaping once again this offseason.

Harris, a four-year NFL veteran, was a big free-agency addition for the Bolts after spending the first four years of his career with the Steelers.

And since entering the league, all the former first-round pick has done is produce.

Harris is the only active player in NFL to have at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last four NFL seasons, as he broke the mark once again in 2024. He also holds the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL since 2021 with 4,312.

The 27-year-old has been as durable as they come as well, having played and started in all 71 possible games throughout his NFL career.

The Chargers got a workhorse in Harris, who will spearhead the group in his first year in Los Angeles.

Behind him is both Haskins and Vidal, who were big at times when injuries struck the group in 2024.

Haskins, a 2022 fourth-round pick by the Titans, was claimed by the Bolts off waivers prior to the regular season and played in all 17 games in a variety of both offensive and special teams roles.

Vidal, meanwhile, saw action in 10 games during his rookie season and scored a receiving touchdown in his first extended action in Week 6.

Closing out the group was Patterson as he played in one game last season and spent the year on the practice squad.

Is it a position of need?

It's not a big need specifically, but Jeremiah believes it could be a position the Bolts could add to create some explosiveness on offense.

"I still think just adding more firepower on offense," Jeremiah said. "And that can come from running back, tight end or receiver, you know, I think it.

"In a perfect world, you add a little something to all three of those rooms through this draft," Jeremiah added.

Adding a young prospect to the group is something Jeremiah wouldn't be against in the later stages of the draft.

In terms of the first couple of Chargers picks however, he would put running back third behind those other skill groups.

"I do think you want to add somebody young to the room," Jeremiah said. "But in terms of a premier guy, I'll probably put that down the road. [I would] put that behind those other two positions at this point in time."

Key Questions for 2025

1. What do you think of the Chargers signing Najee Harris?

"Najee's been incredibly durable and physical and tough, but he was complimented in Pittsburgh with a more dynamic runner, and I think it'd be a great fit to compliment him with a more dynamic runner in this offense. He's a closer. He's somebody who can finish games in the 4-minute offense. He's someone that's going to be good in short yardage and it just fits kind of the grind you out style a little bit."

2. This year's class has been praised for it's depth. How deep is the group?

"Excellent. It's really good. It's one of the deepest I can remember. It's got high-end guys and a ton of depth."

3. Assuming the top guys are off the board in the first round, who are some Day 2 prospects to keep an eye on for the Chargers?

"If either of the Ohio State running backs were somehow get to them in the 2nd round, I'd run that card up there. Then you start getting some other interesting names. Kaleb Johnson [from Iowa] kind of starts there, right around that right around that range. I really like Dylan Sampson as an undersized runner from Tennessee, he plays with a lot of juice and explosiveness. And then if you go back a round, the kid from Virginia Tech [Bhayshul Tuten] has got tons of burst. The kid at Kansas State [DJ Giddens] can make you miss and is kind of a slithery, slippery runner."

Expert rankings

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah currently has five running backs in his latestTop 50list, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has two in hisTop 25.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has eight running backs in his most recentTop 100list, with the highest coming in at No. 5 (Ashton Jeanty).

Pro Football Focus has 10 running backs in the top 100 in theirBig Board Rankings, with a high of No. 5 (Jeanty).

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Ashton Jeanty

School:Boise State| Year:Junior| Ht:5-foot-8 1/2| Wt:211 pounds

2024 stats:14 games; 374 rushes for 2,601 yards (7.0 avg.) and 29 TDs; 23 receptions for 138 yards (6.0 avg.), one TD; 185.7 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:The Heisman Trophy runner-up put together one of the greatest running back seasons in college football history, rushing for the second-most yards in a season ever and a record 1,970 yards after contact.

Omarion Hampton

School:North Carolina| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-0| Wt:221 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 281 rushes for 1,660 yards (5.9 avg.) and 15 TDs; 38 receptions for 373 yards (9.8 avg.), two TDs; 169.4 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:Hampton was a First-Team All-American in each of his final two seasons with the Tar Heels, surpassing the 1,500-yard rushing mark each year.

Jeremiah's take:"I think he'll be gone, but if he's there, I think that's value and it's kind of gives you the best of both worlds. He can hit home runs, catch the ball, all that stuff, but then you also have the size that he brings to the table and some physicality, too. I think he would be gangbusters in this offense."

TreVeyon Henderson

School:Ohio State| Year:Senior| Ht:5-foot-10| Wt:202 pounds

2024 stats:16 games; 144 rushes for 1,016 yards (7.1 avg.) and 10 TDs; 27 receptions for 284 yards (10.5 avg.), one TD; 81.3 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:Henderson capped off his successful Buckeye career with a National Championship win and finished with 3,761 career rushing yards in four seasons, ranking top five in program history.

Kaleb Johnson

School:Iowa| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-1| Wt:224 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 240 rushes for 1,537 yards (6.4 avg.) and 21 TDs; 22 receptions for 188 yards (8.5 avg.), two TDs; 143.8 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:A First-Team All-American in 2024, Johnson won the Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year award for the best running back in the Big Ten.

Quinshon Judkins

School:Ohio State| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-0| Wt:221 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 194 rushes for 1,060 yards (5.5 avg.) and 14 TDs; 22 receptions for 161 yards (7.3 avg.), two TDs; 76.4 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:Judkins was stellar in his lone season at Ohio State, leading the National Champions in rushing and tied for the team lead of 16 touchdowns.

Jeremiah's take:"He's 220 pounds and but he has a real natural feel. He ran a little bit faster than I thought he would and he's one of the more natural runners. Excellent instincts, feel, balance, all those things, and he does it in a nice 220-pound package. He's not as good in his pass protection as [former teammate] Trayvon Henderson and maybe not quite as versatile in terms of the routes you can run with him, but he catches the ball well. And with four minutes left in the game, the game's over when you just give it to him. That's what he did against Penn State."

Dylan Sampson

School:Tennessee| Year:Junior| Ht:5-foot-8| Wt:200 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 258 rushes for 1,491 yards (5.8 avg.) and 22 TDs; 20 receptions for 143 yards (7.2 avg.); 125.7 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:The explosive running back won the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award after leading the conference in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Devin Neal

School:Kansas| Year:Senior| Ht:5-foot-11| Wt:213 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 219 rushes for 1,266 yards (5.8 avg.) and 16 TDs; 24 receptions for 254 yards (10.6 avg.), one TD; 126.7 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:Neal is the most accomplished rusher in school history as he is the all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, scrimmage touchdowns and 100+ yard rushing games.

Cam Skattebo

School:Arizona State| Year:Senior| Ht:5-foot-9| Wt:219 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 293 rushes for 1,771 yards (5.8 avg.) and 21 TDs; 45 receptions for 605 yards (13.4 avg.), three TDs; 178.1 scrimmage yards per game

Quick fact:Skattebo carried the load for the Sun Devils and became the first Big 12 player ever to have at least 1500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season and first in the FBS since Christian McCaffrey.

Jeremiah's take:"He reminds me kind of an old school Stanford running back [Toby Gerhart] that that Jim would have been around. That would be kind of a fun kind of double down on that that style."