Newberry High alum Jamaree Caldwell becomes Day 2 NFL Draft selection
Jamaree Caldwell’s long football journey has landed him in the NFL.
The former Newberry High School standout was taken by the LA Chargers in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday.
Caldwell’s journey included stops at two junior colleges and finished playing at Houston and then Oregon the last two seasons. Caldwell joins Oregon teammate and Columbia native Jordan Burch, who was taken earlier in the third round.
Caldwell was ranked the No. 97 overall player by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah for this year’s draft. He was chosen with the 86th overall pick.
“He clogs up the middle. That is the best thing he does. He takes up space in there and sheds blocks,” ESPN’s Booger McFarland said of Caldwell on the draft telecast. “... If you are looking for a guy to clog up the middle, to get some pocket push and collapse the pocket where your edge guy will turn the corner, he can do that.”
The 6-foot-2, 332-pound Caldwell impressed at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, running a 5.17 in the 40-yard dash.
Caldwell played both offense and defense at Newberry High School and signed with Hutchinson Community College. He didn’t play there because the school didn’t play during COVID year in 2020. He ended up playing at Independence College for a season before transferring to Houston.
Caldwell played two seasons at Houston with a breakout season in 2023, finishing with 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He transferred to Oregon for his final year in college.
With the Ducks, he finished with a career-high 29 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.
“You see the feet, and you see the agility,” Chargers president of football operations Joe Hortiz told reporters. “You see that burst when he played that role (with Houston). So we do think there’s some untapped pass-rush potential with him. … That versatility is something you really like, and it’s what jumped out to our scouts and our coaches.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 10:40 PM.
