Chargers GM Joe Hortiz admits panic set in while waiting to draft hidden gem WR - "Quit showing this guy"
The focus on the Los Angeles Chargers' 2025 draft was clear. Five of the first seven picks made by the franchise were offensive players, with the team adding four skill players in total. But one of them felt like a more special pick than the others.
The Chargers had a huge wide receiver need to fill, but in the first round, they selected running back Omarion Hampton. At pick #55, they hoped to land Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris, who fell on draft boards due to an injury, despite his obvious first-round talent.
On Kay Adams' Up And Adams show, general manager Joe Hortiz spoke about the process to select Harris. As Jaxson Dart's highlights popped up on the screen after his selection by the New York Giants, Hortiz wanted the broadcast to move to the next pick quickly.
The reason? He didn't want the other teams to keep seeing Harris' highlights and picking the wide receiver:
Kay Adams: “I think you literally stole another first-round talent, second-round receiver. Before injury, he would have been a first-rounder."
Hortiz: “Well, when the Giants took Dart, they're showing all his highlights. And if you watch 'number nine, number nine, number nine', it's like 'oh my god, like, move on to the next pick'. Like, quit showing this guy, because we had a long ways to go at that point. So we were just hoping.
Tre Harris' addition helps Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers with a different skill set
Harris has a very important profile as a wide receiver. His biggest quality is to make contested catches due to his excellent job at the point of attack, using his body and his frame to control opposing receivers and dominate 50/50 balls.
The Chargers made an excellent second-round addition in the 2024 draft with Ladd McConkey, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in his first season. They hope that Harris, whose profile is more physical and different from McConkey's, can produce a similar impact in his first year.
In 2024, the new Chargers receiver finished the season with 60 receptions, 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games for Ole Miss.