By now most avid draft fans should be familiar with the top 50-60 players and especially those who are in first round consideration. However, there are hundreds more players who will be drafted until we get to 7.57 and the Chiefs are on the clock to draft 2025 Mr. Irrelevant. Most of these players have longer shots to even make an NFL roster, no less carve out a career past their rookie contract, but every year we do see a decent amount of these late round selections who are able to make a roster and have some level of impact on the season. Not that I am Dane Brugler or Mel Kiper, but I have watched a lot of prospect tape as I do every year, and I have tried to identify later round players who might be fits with the Chargers. Last year I made Cam Hart a sleeper of mine and that was a nice hit as he had a fantastic rookie year in LA. Not that any of these players will be Chargers, but I do feel like they can make an NFL roster if drafted into the right situation. These are my Uncut Gems.

Caleb Ransaw

Safety, Tulane 5-11, 197

• Big hitter that loves to come downhill and attack, but is a sound tackler
• Has elite speed to close zones and get deep
• Versatility to line up in the slot, in the box or a deep safety
• Shows good physicality to disengage from perimeter blocks
• Is undersized for the position
• Is not great in man coverage
• Can get grabby when forced to cover in man into the deep third
• Immediate contributor to Special Teams

Hunter Wohler

Safety, Wisconsin 6-2, 213

• Shows an above average instinct to diagnose and react to run plays which leads to a bunch of TFL
• Strong open field tackler who is comfortable playing in space
• Can be lined up at all three levels of the defense
• Particularly good as a 2 high safety where he uses his instincts to make plays on the ball or coming down in run fits
• Does not disengage well from blocks at the LOS
• Does not possess elite speed (4.5) to recover when beat deep or to make plays sideline to sideline
• Lacks athleticism and fluidity to play man coverage
• Can be a good Special Team player because of his tackling ability

Mello Dotson

CB, Kansas 6-1, 190

• Good zone corner that jumps routes with a nose for the ball
• Willing tackler from the corner position
• Shows good understanding of how to use his length in press man
• Good ability to track in zone coverage to make plays on the ball
• Can lose to more physical receivers on man coverage
• Does not divert or jam well at the LOS
• Can be to big play obsessed and be fooled by fakes and misdirection
• Does not have the athleticism to cover consistently in man
• Probably limited to a zone heavy scheme or in zone matchups from sub packages

Jemari Harris

CB, Iowa 6-1, 192

• Displays good understanding of using his length in press and man coverages
• Very confident in his long speed to carry receivers into the deep third especially without help over the top
• Decisive in his zone coverage to recognize routes and jump them
• Good ball production with eight career picks
• Shows good short area burst to break up quick pass plays from zone coverage
• Older prospect (24.5)
• Speed is more of a buildup than a quick turn of foot which can leave him susceptible to double moves early in the route
• Medical concern with multiple injuries across multiple seasons

Isaac TeSlaa

WR, Arkansas 6-4, 215

• Fantastic at using his size to wall off defenders and high point the ball
• Good Red Zone target
• Sneaky speed that can get behind defenders that are not ready for it
• Shows explosion off the line to get into his defenders quickly and has enough creativity to create separation in the intermediate and short areas of the field consistently
• Does not have enough deep speed to play outside regularly as an X WR
• Very stiff when running routes and he looks every bit his size during the rep
• Does not possess enough short area quickness to be used in motion or in tight alignments in multi receiver sets.
• Probably limited to a big slot or occasional X WR in Red Zone or short yardage situations as he is good with contested catches

Kaimon Rucker

Edge, North Carolina 6-2, 265

• Fantastic first step to threaten the edge of the OT
• Very sound and powerful tackler showcasing good speed to close on his target
• Equally as effective from a stand up or down alignment
• Natural ability to flatten the corner and get to the QB
• Never ending motor
• Size will be a huge factor at the next level
• He can be swallowed up by bigger linemen that have enough size to extend the edge
• Does not have many counters once the burst and bend are stopped
• Size limits him to a situational pass rusher in sub packages

Barryn Sorrell

Edge, Texas 6-3, 258

• Power Edge player that is stout at the POA
• Fantastic stopping power for his size as a tackler
• Knows how to anchor and set a hard edge to the defense
• Showcases a good push pull move and has decent hands to win with clubs and rips
• Plays with exceptional effort which leads to a bunch of cleanup tackles and pressures
• Has shown the ability to kick inside and play IDL when needed
• Does not possess the quick first step or lateral quickness to beat tackles to the edge
• He is limited by his size to be able to keep defenders from his frame when attempting to make tackles across the LOS or out in space
• Can take undisciplined angles in run defense which leads to missed tackles and missed assignments
• Does not have the lower body strength to consistently hold up defenders and scrape to make tackles against stretch and wide zone plays
• Probably best suited as a base end in an odd front due to his lack of explosion and bend to win around the edge

Cam Jackson

DT, Florida 6-6, 328

• Absolute mammoth frame and serious anchor
• Absorbs double teams and eats a ton of space at 0 or 1 tech alignments
• Effectively uses his length and power to hold the POA and shed blockers
• Brings immediate juice as a 2 down run stuffer at the next level
• Has the ability to push the pocket especially against smaller IOL
• Has a tendency to play to high losing his leverage and power
• Does not provide any interior pass rush except collapsing the pocket
• Lacks explosion to beat his man off the line preferring to win with sheer power and size
• Must be rotated to stay fresh
• Projects only as a situational run stuffing 0 or 1 tech

Tonka Hemmingway

DT, South Carolina 6-3, 284

• Wins at the POA with a quick first step and shooting gaps
• Versatile DL who has played everything from 0-5 tech, but projects best as a 3 or 5 tech position
• More effective in head up alignments where he can two gap and take up double teams
• Very good lateral quickness and recognition on screens and stretch plays
• Lacks ideal measurables to play 0 or 1 tech
• Can have problems against big, powerful IOL
• Must develop more pass rush techniques
• Improving functional strength is a must as he loses to many tackles where he gets his hands on the ball carrier
• Stylistically limited to a 4-3 IDL that can occasionally kick out to 5 tech in certain alignments

Kyle Monongai

RB, Rutgers 5-9, 208

• Fantastic short area quickness to evade tacklers in tight spaces
• Plays with great contact balance rarely going down from shoulder block tackles
• Shows good patience and decisiveness to shoot gaps when they materialize
• He is a volume runner that gets better as the game goes on and gets into a rhythm
• Showcases above average lateral agility in jump cuts and quick changes of direction
• Needs to improve in pass protection especially reading where the pressure is coming from
• Sometimes looks for the big play instead of just taking the short gains which lead to TFL
• Does not have home run speed once into the second level
• Limited as a pass catcher as he was not asked to do much in that area in Rutgers offense

Tahj Brooks

RB, Texas Tech 5-9, 214

• Workhorse runner who thrives on a ton of carries
• Packs a punch on contact pushing piles and falling forward
• Is satisfied plowing into a pile and turning a 2 yard gain into a 5 yard gain
• Good decisiveness to put his foot in the ground and hit the hole
• Good receiver on outlets and checkdowns
• With his size he seemed more comfortable in zone reads
• Lacks top end speed
• Can be to indecisive which paralyzes him in the rep
• Has a ton of tread on the tires with over 600 touches the last two seasons

Jaydon Blue

RB, Texas 5-9, 196

• Top end speed for the position as any crease he hits can go the distance
• Excellent receiver out of the backfield and can run angles and wheels as well as screens and check downs
• Sharp lateral quickness on jump cuts to evade tacklers
• Looks more comfortable on zone runs where he can find a crease and explode
• Needs to be better at taking what the defense gives, not every run can be an explosive
• Needs more patience and instinct in gap runs to wait for blocks and see the play develop
• Probably best as a rotational back
• Does not possess the best contact balance to fall forward on runs

Cody Simon

LB, Ohio State 6-2, 230

• Relishes the chance to come downhill and punish runners
• Has the speed to play sideline to sideline and is very good pursuing from the back side
• Does not hesitate to blow up plays by doing the dirty work and taking on pulling linemen and lead blockers
• Very good on Special Teams covering kicks and making open field tackles
• Lacks the fluidity and athleticism to cover in open space
• Undersized for a starting role as a complete MLB
• To often relies on shoulder blocks instead of wrapping up tacklers which lead to missed tackles
• Needs to understand the assignment and improve his ability to disengage from blocks to make tackles instead of just plowing into the blocker
• Can get to fired up and overly aggressive leading to misdirection

Jack Kiser

LB, Notre Dame 6-2, 230

• Extremely good tackler
• Very sound and disciplined player
• Adept at shooting the openings against zone runs and making the tackle
• Very smart player who makes the calls and checks
• Special Teams ace that plays on almost every unit
• Limited athletically in pass coverage
• Older prospect (24.5)
• Does not possess the speed to play sideline to sideline
• Does not disengage well at the POA preferring to stay clean to make tackles
• Projects best as a rotational/backup player with ST ability

CJ Dippre

TE, Alabama 6-5, 256

• Good inline blocker who can hold the POA
• Nasty attitude that looks to finish blocks
• Has a good feel in zone coverage to find the open areas
• Enough speed (4.6) to get into the intermediate part of the field
• Sure handed as a safety valve receiver off block and release routes
• Does not have enough speed or athleticism to threaten vertically
• Lacks top end athleticism to run a diverse route tree
• Not good in contested catch situations despite his size
• Projects best as an inline blocker that can get out into the flats or shallow part of the defense for quick hits and dump offs

Jack Nelson

OT, Wisconsin 6-7, 316

• Good size and anchor to hold the POA against power rushes
• Finishing mentality
• Good punch and first step off the line and the power to move defenders
• Positional versatility as he played OT and OG at Wisconsin
• Shines in combo and duo blocks to be able to hit his mark and climb to the second level, probably the strongest part of his game
• Has trouble playing with disciplined pad level for his size
• Lacks ideal lateral agility to defend against speed
• Can take awkward steps in pass protection that lead to balance issues
• Loses technique after the initial engagement and has trouble re anchoring if the defender stuns him with a punch or gets under his pads with power
• Projects as a swing OL, or concentrating on kicking inside full time

Jonah Monheim

C, USC 6-4, 305

• Knows how to position his body off the snap to gain leverage
• Good at disengaging to the second level
• Decent anchor to set and wall off defenders
• Plays with good pad level and balance in pass protection keeping his feet active to shuffle and latch on
• Position versatility on the OL
• Good awareness to pick up designed rushers
• Lacks mass to take on pure relentless power
• Does not possess the power to move defenders
• Has a hard time re anchoring once his leverage is compromised
• Speed rushes to his flanks present problems, he prefers head up defenders if not combo blocking

Connor Colby

OG, Iowa 6-6, 312

• Good lateral movement and active feet
• Knows how to use his body to wall off defenders and create running lanes
• Effective blocker on the move or in climbing to the second level
• Above average awareness from the interior picking up free rushers or designed rushes
• Decent anchor against bull rushers but it’s not a strength as he prefers to use his body and leverage to wall off defenders instead of driving them
• Bad habit of leaning into defenders instead of using brute strength and extension to apply blocks
• Can lose engagements by dropping his head and missing his punch becoming susceptible to swims and rips
• Rushers with quick first steps get the jump on him regularly in pass pro where he tries to react and absorb instead of attacking
• Projects best in a zone running scheme but he has the feet to be useful in gap and power with added strength and technique