I'M. BACK. With my first mock draft!

If you guys haven't read my previous OC post yet, feel free to check it out. I also recommend reading u/ILikeXiaolongbao offseason simulation post. It's truly great work on how the Chargers FA cuts, signages, and other moves play out (again I must emphasize, great work!).

As of now, the Chargers have fired OC Greg Roman and OL coach Mike Devlin – which should place the Chargers as the front-runner team for best-minded offensive coordinators. As for my say, I'll let the process play out itself and focus on the roster. As I've stated before, I believe the draft should focus on target IOL(center and guard), EDGE, and IDL. The bad news is we have 5 picks this season, with our 5th and 7th round picks being traded for Odafe Oweh and Elijah Molden respectively. That's not to say they are bad player – we all know how well both of them performed. Molden has already been given a contract extension last year, but the status around Oweh remains to be seen. We also should look to add depth at LB, TE, and CB – considering how those positions are valuable to special teams as well. I should also point out that is purely based on the state of the roster before free agency – and I'll mostly be picking BPA with positional need as the tiebreaker. It's a brand new year, brand new offseason, and a brand new path toward a Super Bowl. Let's kick things off with the LA Chargers selecting:

Round 1, Pick #22: Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane, OG, Penn State

  • Ok yeah, it ain't surprising. There's already countless people on the sub that want this guy and for good reason. And he's such a Harbaugh pick too! At 6’4” and 330 lbs, Ioane is a mauler who earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2025. In both the 2024 and 2025 seasons at Penn State, Ioane did not allow a single sack. In 2025 alone, he allowed just 4 total pressures in 11 games, finishing with an 87.3 PFF pass-blocking grade. For a big guy, he is surprisingly mobile. Penn State frequently used him like an H-back, having him pull across the formation to lead-block on outside runs. He doesn't just block; he creates massive lanes by driving defenders into the second level. This helps both Herbert and Hampton massively – an offensive guard who's willing to keep his QB upright while also provide running lanes for RBs is a guy I want on my team.
  • Fun Fact: This is the second year in a row where I drafted a 1st-round player from Penn State in my 1.0 mocks. Do you know who last year's player I picked? Tyler Warren

Round 2, Pick #55: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State

  • I promise you, picking from Penn State two rounds in a row isn't on purpose. I just love Dani Dennis-Sutton (DDS) and he was the best available player on my draft board. While he's projected to go in the mid-2nd round, most major draft boards have DDS ranked as a Top 30-40 prospect. At 6’5” and 270 lbs, DDS has the prototypical frame that the Chargers lack outside of Tuli Tuipulotu. He is strong enough to play as a 5-technique (lined up over the tackle) or as a traditional stand-up outside linebacker. His ability to "set the edge" against the run is statistically among the best in the 2026 class, which is a non-negotiable trait for a Jim Harbaugh-led team. While Tuli Tuipulotu provides twitch and interior versatility, Dennis-Sutton brings pure power. His primary weapon is a devastating bull rush and a refined hand-swipe move. That's why he finished his career at Penn State with 23.5 sacks proving he isn't just a physical specimen but a consistent finisher. If there's ever a case where Oweh or Mack don't return next season, DDS would prove to be a very valuable addition to the defensive line.

Round 3, Pick #86: Jake Slaughter, OC, Florida

  • Unless if I hear the words, "Former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum has signed a 4-year long-term deal with LA Chargers", center is going to be an important need. Jake Slaughter is the only Power Four center to earn 80.0+ PFF grades in both pass-blocking and run-blocking in consecutive years (2024–2025). At Florida, he consistently shut down future first-round picks from Georgia, Texas, and Alabama and allowed only one sack across over 800 snaps. At 6'4" and 308 lbs, he has the ideal frame and leverage to anchor against the massive "nose tackle" types that the AFC West tends to employ. But if there's one thing that matters the most, is that he's a football nerd – he is a "set-and-forget" center who can handle the complex blitz pickups and protection shifts that a veteran QB like Herbert requires. Jim Harbaugh covets "blue-collar," durable, and high-motor players. Slaughter is the definition of a "Harbaugh guy." He was a team captain at Florida and was the "anchor" that led an in-season turnaround for the Gators in 2024. He brings a physical, nasty finish to his blocks that fits the "smashmouth" culture the Chargers are building.

Round 4, Pick #123: Lander Barton, ILB, Utah

  • Barton possesses rare size for a modern off-ball linebacker. Standing at 6'5" and 240 lbs, he has the length of an edge rusher but the movement skills of a safety. As a former standout basketball player he brings "elite functional athleticism" and spatial awareness to the field. Not only that, his frame is so unique that some scouts believe he could even flex into a "personnel chameleon" role, playing as a traditional linebacker or moving to the edge in specific sub-packages. Unlike traditional "thumper" linebackers (e.g. Perryman and Henley), Barton is a "smooth mover in space." He has the speed to carry tight ends vertically and the fluidity to match up man-to-man against running backs. ver his career at Utah, he showcased high-level ball production with 5 interceptions to his name, including a pick-six and multiple pass breakups. If there's two things he needs to improve on, it's adding some bulk and improving his wrap-up technique. He does have potential to contribute to special teams too, so if anything I see him as a step-up over Perryman.

Round 6, Pick #202: Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame

  • As things stand in the TE room, it's Oronde Gadsden and…no one else. Yeah we need to add more depth, which is why we're adding this athletic freak. Standing at 6’7” and 252 lbs, Raridon is a "mountain of a man." He possesses the massive wingspan and frame that NFL teams crave for red-zone targets and "sixth-lineman" blocking roles. Raridon comes from a Notre Dame system where he was a "featured blocker," helping the Irish rushing attack put up massive numbers. After a slow start to his college career, he had a productive 2025 senior season, recording 32 receptions for 482 yards. He showed "big-play" ability with a 65-yard catch against Miami, proving he isn't just a plodder but a legitimate mismatch in space. While those number should make him a Day 1 or 2 pick, he's a developmental prospect for a reason. He suffered two ACL tears in 10 months during his first two years at Notre Dame (late 2021 and October 2022). While he played fully healthy in 2025, there is some doubt as to his longevity. He reminds me of Donald Parham in a way – he's got that really tall size and good production, but always prone to injury (he was just placed on IR by the Steelers last season). That being said, if Raridon can improve his strength & conditioning via Ben Herbert, he should be able to provide the Chargers with a starting-caliber Y-tight end for the price of a special teams player.

That's pretty much my NFL Draft. I'll probably do another one next month after the Super Bowl or maybe the Reese's Senior Bowl. All I can say is despite Herbert never winning a playoff game yet, he's still in the prime of his career. The team let him down by not giving him an offensive line. Whatever happened last season must not happen again, and I have complete faith GM Joe Hortiz will get the job done. Let me know how I did, and feel free to discuss what other players we can add to our imaginary big board together 🙂

Mock Draft Sim: Stick To The Model

16 comments

  1. I really like the idea of Jake Slaughter but I have a feeling he’ll push up the board and I doubt we’ll pick him in the second round

  2. Looks rock solid to me. I’d love Vega in the 1st and it seems like a no-brainer considering nearly every mock draft has him pegged to us, but it’ll be interesting to see how Hortiz’s BPA strategy effects that. I could see a world where we draft some completely unexpected position of less need because of BPA.

    I feel like if there’s any offseason to abandon BPA and draft for positional need, it’s this year. We can’t possibly address all of LG/C/RG in FA and someone like Vega is seemingly a plug-and-play for a decade plus.

  5. The X factor in picking an edge that early is how they feel about Kennard’s development and potential. They’ve seen a lot more than we have, which is very little. And of course whether we keep the Big 3 we have now. If we don’t keep them all and/or they don’t think Kennard will take a step this year, definitely need an edge early. We saw the difference having a capable third edge makes. Huge.

  7. Well done. A wrinkle for lb is that Devin Lloyd is a FA and I would love for us to leave him.

    LB rookies take a very long time, in general, to be good starters.

  8. Olaivavega Iaone and Jake Slaughter was all I needed to see, that would be absolutely huge

  9. Great mock, I’ve been hearing a lot about Loane recently so I’m hoping we pick him up!

  10. Definitely addresses needs as they exist today. Free Agency starts March 11th, a full month before the draft. Add all the FA’s that need to be re-signed, mock draft at this point is useless.

  11. I doubt Hortiz goes guard in the 1st, it’s just not good team building. I think we look to trade back into the first and pick up a guard or two in rounds 2/3

  12. Pretty much exactly how I feel about the first 3 rounds. Boards will obviously begin to change wildly as the months go on—but I see a very real possibility of Need perfectly lining up with BPA.

    I see a lot of potential Guard talent at 22. My guy feeling is Ioane rises, but there’s a lot of tackle converts there. We will have the pick of the litter at that spot.

    With EDGE, this class feels pretty deep with Ok-Solid prospects. In the 2nd round you can look for some gems like with Tui. Could also end up with a developmental guy like Kennard though. Lot of players here, hard to pin them.

    And then yeah, Center is an obvious need. Even if we sign a guy—I still want a solid backup lol

  13. Ideal world the re sign Zion for continuity, sign linderbaum at C, then draft Vega at guard. Gives you flexibility for the rest of the draft. If linderbaum doesn’t sign for us and you can’t get someone in free agency you need to draft C in round 2.

  14. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Like the draft a lot. My points of contention:

    1) I think that Ioane is a universally overrated prospect. Two factors have pushed him into a consensus first-round grade – the fact that the guard market exploded last year, and the focus of this fanbase in particular on their team’s offensive line. Ioane’s an excellent pass protector but his lateral movement is stiff and slow. Simply put, his weakness in the run game is being overlooked by both this sub and the broader mock draft community. I don’t think we need a pass protection specialist at RG, especially if we have a healthy Alt at RT and an upgraded center. Run blocking was absolutely horrific last season and is sorely needed if this offense is going to take a step next year. As much as the interior needs investment, I hate focusing on a guard in the first round. As a position, interior linemen have significantly higher hit rates in later rounds than any other position group. I understand why people want to focus on it, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Furthermore, Hortiz has stated on multiple occasions that he’s focused on taking the best player available, particularly in early rounds, and not examining position group all that much. I don’t think Ioane will be BPA at 22. I think he’s just the guy who Charger fans want the most. I’d prefer not to fixate on this position group in the first round and look for a guy like Pregnon in the 2nd, who brings more violence and pace in the run game.

    2) DDS is Tuli-light in a lot of ways. I don’t think his skillset and interior flexibility is what we need (we already have that with Tuli and Egboigbe, although I could see an argument for it depending on how many IDL we wind up re-signing). I do like the prospect, but I personally have him at a late round three grade. He’s one of those guys with great measurables and no explosiveness that teams draft and they just become rotational pieces. He’ll probably be decent at setting the edge on running downs but that trait just doesn’t hold a ton of value for me, there are a heap of cheap FA edge guys you can get who can defend the run reasonably well if Mack’s not coming back for a swan song. This draft class has an absolute pile of day two talent and DDS feels like a miss to me.

    Things I agree with:

    1) I like Slaughter in the 3rd a lot. This comes with the caveat that I don’t think we should be relying on a rookie center next season – I’d want to draft him AND sign a veteran who he can sit behind and learn for at least a season. Center is a notoriously difficult position for rookies to adjust to in the NFL and aside from the rare consensus 1st-round graded guy it’s typically a developmental position. Slaughter makes a ton of sense if we sign a guy like Corbett or Pocic to replace Bozeman next season. He makes slightly less sense if we get someone younger like Linderbaum, who I’ve been pretty vocal about preferring.

    2) I like Lander Barton a lot. I think that, in general, our LB room needs help. Perryman is in the twilight of his career, and even though Dye’s a good rotational piece and Wax has shown flashes, we don’t really have other options there unless Colson figures himself out, which feels unlikely at this point. I think Daiyan needs a long-term partner. I don’t necessarily agree with you that Barton is a “step-up” over Perryman. He’s good, he’s not that good. If he’s up at #22, I think we should be taking a really close look at CJ Allen. Guy has game-changer written all over him.

  16. I was trying to will Mitchell Evans as a Charger last year, and I’ll do the same with Eli this year.

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