Charger Report

Did Chargers miss on a 6'6", 17-TD target snagged by Kansas City Chiefs?

The Los Angeles Chargers could use more options at tight end -- will they regret not snagging this sleeper undrafted free agent who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs?
Brian Letscher|
Sep 16, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina; Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool (9) catches a pass for a touchdown.
Sep 16, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina; Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool (9) catches a pass for a touchdown. | Gannett-USA TODAY NETWORK

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Los Angeles ChargersKansas City ChiefsClemson Tigers

The vast majority of mock drafts leading up to the actual draft had the Los Angeles Chargers drafting Colston Loveland, TE out of Michigan. The clear consensus was that the Chargers needed a pass-catching TE threat in the middle of the field to take the heat off of slot sensation Ladd McKonkey.

We'll never know if the Chargers would have picked Loveland -- or the 2nd TE off the board, Penn State's Tyler Warren -- because both were taken well before the Chargers at No. 22. Los Angeles then took RB Omarion Hampton and WR Tre Harris with their first two picks, eventually trading up to grabe a TE in the 5th round, Orondee Gadson II out of Syracuse.

While Gadson may develop into a decent player, the Chargers may have missed on a high-upside, low-investment TE that was snagged by their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Possessing traits are similar to future Hall-of-Famer Travis Kelce, the Chiefs signed undrafted free agent Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool.

Jake Briningstool
Dec 21, 2024; Clemson Tigers tight end Jake Briningstool (9) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Listed at 6'6", 241 pounds, Briningstool tallied 127 catches for 1,380 yards and 17 scores in four years at Clemson, good enough for 3rd-Team All-ACC in both 2023 and 2024. He's an inch taller than Kelce, plays with the same kind of toughness and feel for getting open in zones. Many draft analysts had Briningstool as a 5th-6th round pick.

Maybe the Chargers may have gone after Briningstool and he chose the Chiefs instead -- a tough outcome considering Briningstool was ranked a decent amount higher than Gadson on many lists.

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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