The Los Angeles Chargers got a blessing in disguise in Round 4 with their No. 105 overall pick when they drafted wide receiver Brenen Thompson. The former Mississippi State speedster blew away the evaluators during the combine with his 4.26-second 40-yard dash, the fastest time recorded at the 2026 combine. So, no wonder we can see the offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, pumped to get his man in the offense.
Mike McDaniel Was the Most Excited Person in the Building After the Chargers Drafted Brenen Thompson
It started before the pick was even official. In behind-the-scenes footage released by the Chargers, McDaniel turned to GM Joe Hortiz and made it clear where he stood.
“In this whole formula, if you can find a way to get Brenen Thompson, I will take my shirt off in here… On the record.” McDaniel was dead serious. He wasn’t kidding!
Once Thompson was in, that energy didn’t drop even for one bit. On the call with his new receiver, McDaniel didn’t hold back: “I’m so excited to see you. I see your passion in your eyes. This is the first day of the rest of your life. Let’s go. Look at that powder blue. Yeah, you’re going to do elite stuff. Just start running right now. Now go party. Take your shirt off, all right?”
Then he turned to the room and delivered the line: “If you’re not fired up. You are dead. You have no pulse.” He was aura farming in 4k. No one can know how this will turn out for the Chargers in the 2026 season, but the belief can’t be faulted. It’s a real conviction.
The Chargers have been searching for a true vertical stressor for Justin Herbert. Thompson is exactly that. At Mississippi State, he led the SEC with 1,054 receiving yards, averaging 18.5 per catch and consistently winning downfield. His 18.4 average depth of target and 5 receptions of 50-plus yards speak for themselves.
Then, there’s the whole ‘journey matters’ theory that applies to him as well. Basically, the rise against the odds. Thompson wasn’t a plug-and-play breakout early in his career. Stops at Texas and Oklahoma produced moments but not consistency. The transfer unlocked him.
Against SEC competition, he turned raw speed into usable production, finishing with a PFSN’s CFB WR Impact score of 82.4 and ranking No. 13 overall among the most explosive receivers in the country.
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There are still questions. At 164 pounds, his frame will be tested. Physical corners will challenge him at the line, and his margin for error through contact is thinner than most.
But that’s not why he got the Bolts’ nod of approval. He was brought in to tilt the field, to create space for everyone else, and to give Herbert a target defenses have to account for on every snap.
