{"id":687408,"date":"2026-01-18T23:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/687408\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T23:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T23:14:00","slug":"chargers-among-best-nfl-rookie-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/687408\/","title":{"rendered":"Chargers among best NFL rookie classes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boltsfromtheblue.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> are disappointed after their playoff elimination against the New England Patriots, but that shouldn\u2019t take away from the accomplishments they made throughout the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cThe Chargers\u2019 rookie impact came primarily from skill players on offense, led by fifth-round tight end Oronde Gadsden. He ended the season with 49 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns. First-round running back Omarion Hampton missed games because of a fractured ankle but ended up with 124 carries for 545 yards and four touchdowns in nine games. Second-round wide receiver Tre\u2019 Harris was less productive than expected but had 30 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown,\u201d Schatz wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cOn defense, the most impactful rookie was sixth-round safety RJ Mickens. He started five games and had 29 combined tackles with two interceptions as part of a three-safety package with Derwin James Jr. and Elijah Molden. Third-round defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell had five starts and 31 combined tackles with a forced fumble. Other impact players included undrafted cornerback Nikko Reed and fifth-round wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The only teams that ranked ahead of the Chargers were the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Chargers got some production from everyone in the rookie class, so that\u2019s certainly a positive. There are building blocks for a strong foundation, which is crucial for the team in order to move closer towards a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">BFTB community, what do you think of the Chargers\u2019 rookie class? Chime off in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Chargers are disappointed after their playoff elimination against the New England Patriots, but that shouldn\u2019t&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":687409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,7,1014,262,2453,2444,2443,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-687408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-chargers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-los-angeles","11":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","12":"tag-los-angeles-chargers-news","13":"tag-losangeles","14":"tag-losangeleschargers","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115918645735455263","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}