Chargers’ breakout star after ripoff of a trade making national waves

Los Angeles Chargers fans know all about cornerback Tarheeb Still.

The national perspective is still waking up, though.

Still’s arrival with the Chargers is one of those wild NFL stories. When new Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz traded up with the New England Patriots in order to take Ladd McConkey in the 2024 draft, the 137th pick was a tacked-on detail.

That small detail eventually became Still, one of two breakout fifth-round cornerbacks in Jesse Minter’s defense last year. The other was Cam Hart, with the duo combining to make the absence of say, Asante Samuel Jr., not a major setback.

The trade is quietly one of the bigger draft ripoffs of the last decade. McConkey went on to shatter Chargers franchise records held by Keenan Allen. Still joined the team, too. The Patriots, meanwhile, got essentially nothing from the two draft picks they acquired in the trade and the outlook into 2025 isn’t great.

Anyway, the national perspective is now starting to share the story a bit as Still makes the rounds. If nothing else, it must be cool for Chargers fans to see the budding star and smooth maneuvers by the front office getting the national spotlight:

The #Chargers traded Keenan Allen for #Bears' pick No. 110 in the 2024 NFL Draft... then packaged that with No. 37 to move up to No. 34 to select Ladd McConkey. The throw-in was pick No. 137... which turned into Tarheeb Still.

Hits all around for the #Chargers on that deal. https://t.co/esMu8jp7cd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 11, 2025