The Los Angeles Chargers are being viewed as a team that might select a running back as early as the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
While the Chargers signed Najee Harris in free agency after losing J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, this won’t stop them from drafting a running back. A significant influence on this potential draft strategy is the composition of the depth chart behind Harris, and the well-established penchant of head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Los Angeles Chargers Visiting With Arizona Wildcats RB Ahead of NFL Draft
The Chargers will have interesting options throughout and after the draft, too. According to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler, they will meet with former Arizona star Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who is expected to go on Day 3 of the NFL draft.
In 2023, he rushed for almost 1,200 yards and graduated with a degree from New Mexico in May 2024 before entering the transfer portal for his final season.
However, eligibility concerns related to his number of games he played in 2019 and his redshirt status led Arizona to sit him out for the remainder of the year. Croskey-Merritt accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he was named the Offensive Player of the Game after recording 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler writes in his assessment of Croskey-Merritt; “A slippery runner with explosive feet, Croskey-Merritt is capable of full-stride cuts without gearing down to toy with defenders. He runs with a “cut to daylight” mentality, which keeps his runs alive but also leads to wasted steps and extra hits. Overall, there is an unpredictability to his run style that keeps both defenders and his own coaches on the edge of their seat, but you’ll live with the volatility because of his electric plant and burst to naturally string moves together and create chunk plays. He projects as an offense’s change-of-pace weapon.”
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