Los Angeles Chargers snagged an absolute steal in the NFL Draft who should impress at rookie minicamp alongside fellow draft picks
The Los Angeles Chargers clearly needed to continue building the offensive skill talent around star quarterback Justin Herbert this offseason and that's exactly what general manager Joe Hortiz did throughout the 2025 NFL Draft. Four skill position players. Offensive line help. Some great picks.But one player stood out as an absolute steal for the Chargers […]
The Los Angeles Chargers clearly needed to continue building the offensive skill talent around star quarterback Justin Herbert this offseason and that's exactly what general manager Joe Hortiz did throughout the 2025 NFL Draft. Four skill position players. Offensive line help. Some great picks.
But one player stood out as an absolute steal for the Chargers as a perfect fit in the offensive system that Los Angeles wants to employ with Herbert at the helm. That's Tre Harris, former Ole Miss wide receiver, and he's debuting with the team this weekend at rookie minicamp.
Tre Harris, WR Ole Miss Rebels
Tre Harris was selected at pick 55 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, which was actually just a shade higher than the industry consensus mock draft boards, but given how special he was for the Ole Miss Rebels when healthy that's still far too late for a talent like him to be selected.
The Chargers are already acting like they know this too, as they spent the day before rookie minicamp shooting some short videos highlighting his arrival specifically. But what makes him so special exactly?
As many fans may already be aware, Tre Harris racked up 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in his first seven games for Ole Miss last season prior to going down with an injury that kept him out for nearly the rest of the 2024 college football season. He was averaging over five yards per route run before having his season cut short, a truly elite mark, more than double the mark of typical wide receivers selected inside the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. He added nearly eight yards after the catch per reception too.
Harris' productive dominance and efficiency was obviously on a nearly unprecedented pace in college football, but that's not even why he's the perfect fit with the Chargers. He fits exactly how the Chargers play the game on offense given their play action heavy scheme (as you can see mentioned below in the video from Warren Sharp).
Just like the Ole Miss scheme that Tre Harris played in last season, the Chargers call a ton of play action. In fact the Chargers finished second in play action percentage among all NFL teams. Why does that matter?
Harris' approach to playing the wide receiver position is extremely process oriented with a focus on manipulating zones and forcing man defenders into tough decisions. From double moves to post-snap option routes, Harris is perfect for a scheme looking to utilize significant play action and selective deep shot targets for him.
When I spoke with Harris at the NFL Combine he broke down his process that he goes through on every single play to make sure that he's in the exact right position for his quarterback to give him a shot:
"For pre-snap reads, it's always first you'll get the play. Then I'll look at the situation, the down and distance. Then I'll have my alignment, my assignment. Immediately after that I'm looking at the corner, safety, and I'll look at the linebacker trying to find that triangle. Trying to see what they're going through. Post-snap–at Ole Miss we had a lot of post-snap reads–if we see a safety rolling down, are we breaking down or are we going over the top. So just having that mind set, always being aware of what's going on around you, that's something that was huge for me this season. And just making sure I was finely in tune with the quarterback as well."
Critics wanted to belittle the Ole Miss (Lane Kiffin) scheme as much as possible throughout the pre-draft process in many cases so they could talk negatively about Jaxson Dart. Unfortunately the wide receiver discourse suffered some of the same faulty narratives too. But the good news is that the pre and post-snap reads prepared Harris perfectly to fit within offensive coordinator Greg Roman's system.
Harris should become a quick favorite for Jim Harbaugh and his staff as well as an easy target for Justin Herbert as he impresses at rookie minicamp and beyond. The offense will still likely flow through the ground game and wide receiver Ladd McConkey, but Harris should be able to earn significant snaps and targets early over guys like Mike Williams and Quentin Johnston.
Former Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart debuts new jersey number with New York Giants at NFL Rookie Minicamp alongside fellow draft picks
Jaxson Dart and the rest of his fellow rookies for the New York Giants are kicking off NFL Rookie Minicamp action today through Sunday. The former Ole Miss QB and brand new Giants first round pick may have to wait to officially start games for a while given the quarterback talent in the room, but […]
We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels and Los Angeles Chargers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to see why Tre Harris is the perfect fit with the Chargers after a wildly efficient finish to his Ole Miss career check out his highlights below!
