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UDFA running back Raheim Sanders may have the best chance of making the Chargers final roster after a productive career in the SEC.
It’s always fun to root for the underdog. Finding something to love about little-known undrafted free agents after they sign with your favorite NFL team is almost a rite of passage for any serious football fan and that habit doesn’t often change no matter how many years have come and gone.
This year, the
Chargers signed a handful of intriguing players in their initial 18-man UDFA haul. Below, I touch on three of them that I believe have the best shot at surviving the team’s final cuts later this summer.
Raheim Sanders, RB, South Carolina
You’re probably going to hear a lot about Sanders from now until he’s either released or kept through the team’s final cuts later this summer. As a three-year starter in the SEC, Sanders rushed for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns while having a chunk of his 2023 season taken from him due to injury. Now, he’s set to join a Chargers running back room that’s headlined by the ever-durable Najee Harris and 2025 first-round pick Omarion Hampton.
On the face of it, the chances don’t seem great for Sanders to make an impact anytime soon, even if he does make the initial cut. However, if 2024 sixth-rounder Kimani Vidal does not improve enough as a pass blocker, his roster spot could be in jeopardy. Veteran Hassan Haskins should be viewed as a lock to remain with the Chargers thanks to his special teams ability but Sanders’ best chance to make the team would be as a high-upside stash that overall helps raise the floor for a run-heavy offense that was littered with injuries a year ago.
The Chargers should aim for the strongest and most talented running back room possible and Sanders seems like he may have a chance to impress this offseason, especially with the Chargers playing four preseason games in total thanks to the Hall of Fame Game against the Lions.
Jordan Oladokun, CB, Bowling Green
When you look at Oladokun’s stats from the 2024 season, it’s sort’ve crazy to think he wound up going undrafted. When a player picks off five passes in a single season, it’s usually one of the best marks of the year by any player and that was the case as his pick total tied for fourth in the country. His 136 return yards were also up and it doesn’t hurt that he also returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown.
Following the regular season, Oladokun had held opposing quarterback’s to a nation-low 18.4 passer rating allowed among draft eligible cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps. That was better than first-round picks Jahdae Barron (33.1) and Travis Hunter (38.8).
Oladokun’s 6’0, 190-pound frame does not jump out at you by any means, but he plays bigger than his frame and offers a high football IQ that helps him overcome any shortcomings. In an ever-competitive cornerback room, the Chargers may have found themselves yet another player who could end up playing above his contract in 2025.
Nash Jones, OG, Texas State
You got to love a big guy who can score a Thicc-Six.
Jones stands at an intimidating 6’5 and 320 pounds and posted an elite relative athletic score this pre-draft season which was highlighted by a 30” vertical and a 9’5 broad jump. His 29 reps in the bench press weren’t too bad, either.
Overall, Jones is well-built for the NFL and has some natural athleticism traits that come from his background as an offensive tackle early in his collegiate career. He put a lot of good effort on tape and shows off a mentality of someone who wants to dominate the man across from him. He’ll need to polish some of the fundamentals (strike points in pass pro, footwork for better sustain) but there’s most definitely something here that stands out to me over the other lineman in this UDFA haul.
With the Chargers feasibly putting everything out there as an option to solve their center and left guard problems, I like Jones as practice squad stash who could develop into decent depth in the years to come.
