Isn’t it obvious? Isn’t it a foregone conclusion? Isn’t it a no-brainer?
Seriously, why wouldn’t the Chargers address their most pressing need and use their first-round draft pick to select a standout offensive lineman to better protect quarterback Justin Herbert, who was battered and bruised en route to a career-high 54 this past season?
After all, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged they didn’t always put Herbert in a position to be at his best during an otherwise successful 2025 season. The Chargers did manage to win 11 games for the second consecutive season.
But they flamed out in an AFC wild-card playoff game for the second time in the two-season tenure of Hortiz and Harbaugh. Herbert was under near constant pressure after top tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt suffered season-ending knee and ankle injuries, respectively.
The good news for the Chargers is that they expect Slater, at left tackle, and Alt, at right tackle, to be back to full strength by the time the 2026 season begins in September. The bad news is they still need O-line help and that’s why they might pick a lineman with the 22nd overall pick.
The NFL draft is April 23-24-25 in Pittsburgh.
Final preparations are a long way away.
The draft combine began Monday in Indianapolis with on-field workouts set to start Thursday inside Lucas Oil Stadium. The free agent signing period begins March 11, with plenty of decisions to be made beforehand that might impact the Chargers’ draft needs several weeks later.
At present, the Chargers have five picks in the draft, including the same three selections in the same order they had last season in the opening rounds. They don’t have picks in the fifth and seventh rounds, having traded those picks away in Hortiz’s first two seasons on the job.
So, will the Chargers select an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, as the conventional wisdom would suggest? Or could they go in a different direction and pick a playmaking tight end to give Herbert another target? Could they switch sides of the ball and select a defensive lineman or a linebacker?
Here’s a way-too-early look at how the Chargers’ draft might unfold, with help from Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Network, The Athletic, NFL Mock Draft Database, plus plenty of guesswork that will inevitably prove dead wrong by April 23, so don’t bet the family farm on any of this:
Round 1 (22nd overall)
The pick: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 245 pounds
Analysis: Built like a bodyguard. That’s one description of Sadiq, a dynamic player who would give the Chargers added depth at a high-value position. It’s not enough that Hortiz and Harbaugh covet quality play from their tight ends, especially as blockers who also can get open in passing situations, but now that Mike McDaniel is on board as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, having another playmaker to go with Herbert’s other targets could move the brain trust away from drafting an interior offensive lineman and toward a tight end. Credit to draft guru Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com and also the Chargers’ radio network for going with Sadiq as the team’s top pick.
Other options: Penn State OL Olaivabega Ioane, Missouri OLB Zion Young, Utah OL Caleb Lomu, Tennessee CB Colton Hood, Florida DT Caleb Banks, Texas A&M OL Chase Bisontis, Clemson OLB T.J. Parker, Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald.
Round 2 (55th overall)
The pick: OL Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M
Measurables: 6-5, 315 pounds
Analysis: Admittedly, Bisontis might not be available at this point in the draft. As ever, so much depends on availability and the needs of the NFL’s other 31 teams. If he’s available with the 55th pick, then the Chargers should grab him without hesitation for all the reasons listed in the introduction above.
Other options: Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell, Kansas State C Sam Hecht, Oregon OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Florida DL Darrell Jackson Jr.
Round 3 (86th overall)
The pick: OL Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
Measurables: 6-3, 316 pounds
Analysis: Kansas State’s Sam Hecht would be a logical pick here, too, but will he still be on the board? The Chargers definitely need O-line help, but they could have some flexibility to go for an outside linebacker with this pick or simply grab the most talented player available at No. 86.
Other options: Iowa OL Beau Stephens, Florida C Jake Slaughter, Penn State OLB Dani Dennis-Sutton, Tennessee OLB Joshua Josephs.
Round 4 (123rd overall)
The pick: DT Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
Measurables: 6-2, 293 pounds
Analysis: An alum of St. Augustine High School in San Diego who is described as “undersized” but with good lateral quickness that makes him “slippery.” He could be a depth player after the Chargers re-signed defensive lineman Teair Tart to a three-year contract extension worth more than $30 million last month. Disrupting the opposition’s ground game and winning the battle in the trenches is perhaps the biggest goal of the Hortiz/Harbaugh regime.
Other options: Iowa C Logan Jones, Texas A&M CB Will Lee III, Kentucky C Jager Burton, Texas S Michael Taaffe.
Round 5
No pick. Traded to the Baltimore Ravens for OLB Odafe Oweh, Oct. 7, 2025.
Round 6 (203rd overall)
The pick: CB Devon Marshall, North Carolina State
Measurables: 5-11, 200 pounds
Analysis: The Chargers had great success with sixth-round picks in cornerbacks Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still in the 2024 draft. So, why wouldn’t they pick Marshall with their sixth-round pick? There is strength in numbers at all positions, but especially this one. Plus, they might get a compensatory pick in this round after unrestricted free agent running back JK Dobbins signed last year with the Denver Broncos.
Other options: Missouri S Jalen Catalon, Michigan OLB TJ Guy, Wyoming TE John Michael Gyllenborg.
Round 7
No pick. Traded to the Tennessee Titans for S Elijah Molden, Aug. 28, 2024.
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