The NFL Draft is one day away. The first round begins Thursday at 5 p.m. PT, and the Los Angeles Chargers are due to pick at No. 22.
Here are some final draft thoughts on the Chargers’ plans, options and needs.
1. I believe trading down from No. 22 is the preferred result for general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers only have five picks in this draft. They want more. The issue: Most teams picking in this range of the draft seem to have the same preference. In order to facilitate a trade, the Chargers must find a team willing to move up. I don’t see many viable possibilities.
As we touched on earlier this month, the Arizona Cardinals are a team to watch. They need a quarterback, and they could be a possible landing spot for Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Dane Brugler’s No. 2 quarterback. The Cardinals have the No. 3 pick. That is probably too high to select Simpson. They also have No. 34 in the second round. Would the Cardinals try to move back into the first round to draft Simpson and add the fifth-year option to his contract?
I could see that happening. But that begs a second question: Is it necessary for the Cardinals to move all the way up to No. 22? Almost all the teams behind the Chargers are settled at quarterback: the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 23), the Chicago Bears (25), the Buffalo Bills (26), the San Francisco 49ers (27), the Houston Texans (28), the Kansas City Chiefs (29), the Miami Dolphins (30), the New England Patriots (31) and the Seattle Seahawks (32). The Cleveland Browns pick at No. 24. They are bringing back Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. I do not think the Browns are interested in Simpson at this spot.
If the Cardinals want to make a move into the first to secure the fifth-year option, they could swing a deal with the Seahawks, who have been open about their hopes to move back. The Cardinals would move up two spots in this case. That trade would demand less capital, and they would still jump the New York Jets at No. 33. The Jets traded for Geno Smith, but they could be a potential Simpson landing spot.
The Cardinals could make a more aggressive move to land Simpson by trading up ahead of the Jets at No. 16. So much depends on how the draft falls. If Simpson makes it past the Jets at No. 16, would the Cardinals consider trading up with the Chargers to jump the Browns? The Pittsburgh Steelers pick at No. 21, and they are still waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers.
The Chargers have to hope Simpson falls past Pittsburgh at No. 21. Then they have to hope the Cardinals are worried about Cleveland.
Alternatively, there could be a team in the late 20s looking to trade up for a tackle like Georgia’s Monroe Freeling. The Eagles, at No. 23, could go tackle. Lane Johnson turns 36 in May and is coming off an injured season. Would the Bears, 49ers or Texans make a move to jump ahead of Philadelphia for their preferred tackle?
In the end, I think there is only a narrow band of outcomes in which the Chargers find a trade partner. Sticking and picking at No. 22 is most likely.
2. I just want to state this explicitly: The Chargers must come away from the first three rounds of this draft with a potential starter at left guard. That could be Vega Ioane or even Chase Bisontis at No. 22. It could be Bisontis or Keylan Rutledge in a trade-down scenario. It could be Rutledge or Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 55. It could be Jalen Farmer at No. 86. It could be a college tackle, like Caleb Lomu or Blake Miller, who kicks inside at the next level.
Hortiz and Harbaugh cannot avoid this need, and I frankly do not care if they think Trevor Penning has immense potential at left guard. I also do not care if they think offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme will elevate the protection. The interior of the offensive line was a need last offseason. They patched that group together by bringing back center Bradley Bozeman and signing guard Mekhi Becton in free agency. They did not draft an offensive lineman until the sixth round. The tackles got hurt, and quarterback Justin Herbert was hit 140 times, including the postseason.
The Chargers signed center Tyler Biadasz and right guard Cole Strange in free agency. They have not done enough.
Show some intention. Invest in protecting your quarterback.
3. I have been thinking about interior defensive line quite a bit this week. At his pre-draft news conference last week, Hortiz said Scott Matlock will be staying on the offensive side of the ball in the new system. That leaves an open spot on the IDL depth chart behind the top four players, Teair Tart, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jamaree Caldwell and Justin Eboigbe.
As such, there is some logic in going with interior defensive line at No. 22. Personally, I just don’t love the options relative to other players that will likely be available in this range. Brugler’s top-ranked interior defensive lineman is Kayden McDonald, a run-stuffer out of Ohio State. He is Brugler’s No. 32 overall player. Clemson’s Peter Woods is No. 35. Georgia’s Christen Miller is No. 43.
Of these three players, Woods provides the most upside. He also finished 2025 with just 14 pressures in 12 games. He was a far better player in 2024. Will the Chargers look at Woods’ 2024 tape and see the potential? How will they feel about his drop-off last season? In his scouting report, Brugler said Woods “appeared to be going through the motions late in 2025.”
I like the edge rushers in this range more than I like Woods — T.J. Parker and Akheem Mesidor specifically. I am fascinated to see if the Chargers feel the same way. If the Chargers go with Woods over the edge rushers, it will be a clear bet on his 2024 tape.
4. The Chargers’ needs are pretty defined to me, as we have discussed in other draft content. Left guard and edge rusher are 1A and 1B. Cornerback, receiver and interior defensive line are in the second tier.
Are there any other positions the Chargers could target at No. 22?
I will be keeping an eye on two Oregon players, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman.
At tight end, the Chargers signed Charlie Kolar in free agency. They bring back Oronde Gadsden. They also signed fullback Alec Ingold, who is a very versatile blocker. As Hortiz mentioned at his pre-draft presser, fullback and tight end will be bucketed together in this offense. Then there is Matlock. I have a tough time seeing him as a fit in McDaniel’s scheme because he struggles to block on the move. But we will see.
The Chargers are in solid shape at this position. At the same time, Sadiq is a special athlete. McDaniel has already been very involved in personnel. Sadiq would be a tantalizing fit in the new offense. He is capable after the catch. He can push vertically and play from multiple alignments. He is useful as a run blocker. I could see Sadiq being the best player available on the Chargers’ board, even if tight end is not a huge need.
Likewise, the Chargers are in solid shape at safety. They are bringing back Derwin James Jr., Elijah Molden, RJ Mickens, Tony Jefferson and Kendall Williamson. But I could see Thieneman being the best player on their board, as well. He is very comfortable in zone coverage. He has sound eyes. He can shoot the alley and make plays in the run game from depth, a key trait in the scheme defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary will be calling.
This could be a moot point if both players are off the board. If they are on the board, it will be an interesting test of the Chargers’ best-player-available approach.