Chargers pull off a robbery for Justin Herbert in Mel Kiper’s new mock draft

Chris Roling | Feb 25, 2025

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The Los Angeles Chargers aren’t strangers to robbing folks blind in the NFL draft. 

Last year, as general manager Joe Hortiz found his footing alongside Jim Harbaugh, he pulled off a lopsided deal with the New England Patriots to trade up and nab Ladd McConkey in an effort to help Justin Herbert. One year later, McConkey is a No. 1 wideout and the two players drafted by the Patriots with the picks hardly see the field. 

This year? ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Hortiz pulling off something similar while standing still, grabbing Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan at No. 22: 

“This would be a heck of an outcome for the Chargers. This isn't a fantastic receiver class, and teams might prioritize other positions on Day 1, pushing guys such as McMillan down the board a little bit. The Chargers -- who already have last year's standout second-rounder Ladd McConkey -- would jump at the chance to add McMillan, who is consistent and has a really impressive catch radius. He reminds me of Drake London, coming down with 50-50 balls with ease. His 1,319 receiving yards ranked third in the country this past season. And with that kind of production, he'd be a dependable outlet for quarterback Justin Herbert. I could see McMillan and McConkey becoming the next Keenan Allen/Mike Williams pairing to cause chaos for opponents in Los Angeles.”

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Talk about a stunner. Onlookers don’t need to poke around long to see that McMillan is often listed as the No. 1 wideout in the class. 

For good reason, too – he’s a 6’5” weapon who had 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 scores in 2023, then 84 for 1,319 and eight more last year. 

One really couldn’t slot a better fit into the wideout spot for the Chargers in Round 1. A run on wideouts that helps this happen would create an A+ draft, especially if it permitted Hortiz to spend the big cap space on bringing back Khalil Mack for the defense and buying up reliable veteran interior offensive linemen in free agency. 

Nabbing possible No. 1 wideouts in two straight drafts and locking them down on rookie deals for Herbert like this would certainly be one way to keep up with the offensive fireworks in the AFC West and overall AFC.

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