The Chargers seemingly have their top three running backs for the 2026 finalized and ready to roll, but that isn’t stopping them from doing their homework on some of the ballcarriers in this year’s draft class.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chargers are hosting former Cal and Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott on a visit Thursday before a visit with the Bengals in the coming days.
As a freshman for the Golden Bears, Ott rushed for 897 yards and eight touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for an additional 345 yards and three more scores. Ott broke out even further with a massive sophomore season where he rushed for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns with 169 receiving yards and two more scores. That performance also earned him First-Team All-Pac 12 honors.
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However, Ott’s junior season at Cal fell far short of expectations. He received a career-low 116 carries for just 387 rushing yards (3.3 YPC) while scoring four touchdowns. That drop in efficiently was massive given that he was coming off back-to-back seasons averaging 5.3 yards per tote.
Ott chose to transfer following the 2024 season and ended up at Oklahoma where he was expected to push for the starting job. Injuries plagued him throughout the year and he only managed to play in seven games. By the end of the season, he recorded 68 rushing yards on 21 carries with zero touchdowns.
With the way his college career ended, it’ll be tough to predict where exactly Ott will come off the board. He played well at this year’s Senior Bowl and performed well during his pro day. There’s something here, but I could very well see him getting drafted on day three.
Maybe the Chargers are simply hoping he can be a dart throw later on. Maybe they think he’s closer to a late-round gem. Only time will tell!
