Kimani Vidal

Los Angeles Chargers·#28

Pos RBHt 5'8"Wt 215 lbExp 2 yrCollege Troy

Updated September 26, 2026

Model Score

79.0 MODEL

Resting on limited playing time

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

The 2025 #40 (tier 8) rookie-equivalent line is a real first sample, even if the highs and lows are extreme. Wk 13's 20.7 PPR and Wk 10's 17.8 show the ceiling when he gets a workload, but four sub-6 PPR games in eight tells you the role is committee-driven, not workhorse. 2026 is the year he either separates from Najee Harris or settles in as a rotational piece.

Vidal came out of Troy as the Los Angeles Chargers' 6th-round pick (181st overall) in 2024 after a four-year college career that ended with him as Troy's all-time leading rusher (4,001 career yards). At 5'8" and 213 pounds, he is a compact, low-center-of-gravity back who played sparingly as a rookie behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. The 2025 season pushed him into a larger role as the Chargers' backfield turned over, and he showed enough late in the year to make him a 2026 roster lock.

Strengths

4,001 career rushing yards as Troy's all-time leading rusher is real college production, even from a Group of Five program. The 5'8"/213 frame is starter-build for a slasher role.
Wk 10 (17.8 PPR) and Wk 13 (20.7) showed legitimate spike weeks; the burst that won him snaps over higher-pedigree backs at midseason is a real trait.

Concerns

Four of his last eight 2025 games scored under 6 PPR (5.8, 3.2, 2, 1.1), showing the floor when he is not the lead. The Chargers brought in Najee Harris specifically to be the lead-back answer.
6th-round pedigree and a tier 8 finish means he is fighting for snaps each preseason, not penciled in. One off-camp and he is back to fourth on the depth chart.

What to watch: Whether the Chargers' 2026 backfield rotation gives him a consistent 8-12 carries per game or whether Najee Harris compresses him back into a 4-touch insurance role.