Updated Jan. 21, 2026, 9:30 p.m. PT

The East-West Shrine Bowl kicks off practice on Friday, marking the beginning of the NFL Draft cycle in earnest.

Now that the Chargers have their offensive coordinator, here are a few players on that side of the ball that LA might be checking out at the event.

Mississippi WR De’Zhaun Stribling

While Stribling won’t be a winner when the measurements come out – he stands 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds – or when the testing at February’s NFL Combine goes down, the Rebels’ wide receiver has quickly become one of the candidates to be the “next” Puka Nacua thanks to his route-running acumen and willingness to run block. Expect him to be a standout in 1-on-1s in Frisco, but his ceiling may be limited by his advanced age (23) for a prospect.

Utah TE Dallen Bentley

Bentley played only 5 snaps of high school football as a late bloomer who broke his leg early in his senior season. After a two-year LDS mission, he walked on at Snow College in Utah and worked his way up to a starting tight end role with the Utes. With the prototypical size for a Y tight end and the athleticism to run decent enough routes, Bentley could be a nice fit next to Oronde Gadsden II in McDaniel’s offense.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Indiana RB Roman Hemby

Hemby will be 24 in August, but the Hoosier could be the perfect complement to Omarion Hampton if the Chargers want to add to the running back room alongside Hampton and Kimani Vidal. Across five seasons at Maryland and Indiana, Hemby has run only slightly more zone plays than gap ones – a key stat as the Chargers assume a new offensive identity – and has a breakaway run (defined by PFF as runs of 15+ yards) percentage of 32.4 percent. He also has 130 career receptions, so he’d be able to add some value there as well.

Iowa WR/KR Kaden Wetjen

Wetjen had 3 punt returns and a kickoff return for a touchdown this season to win his second Jet Award as the country’s top return specialist. He’s the only player since the award was first handed out in 2011 to win multiple times. While his impact on offense may not be huge, the Chargers could be in the market for a new return specialist after Derius Davis looked slowed by injuries this season. If Wetjen can also show some offensive utility – a skill Davis hasn’t yet flashed consistently – then he could be a focal point for the Chargers as early as the middle rounds.

Oklahoma TE Jaren Kanak

A former linebacker who converted to tight end this season, Kanak stands at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, so his future in the league may be more at fullback than traditional tight end. But the Chargers may want to get a bit sleeker at that position than the nearly 300-pound Scott Matlock if they want to perfect McDaniel’s wide zone runs, which could make Kanak an appealing option. He has run as fast as 10.37 in the 100m in high school and played 576 snaps on special teams in college.

UCLA OL Garrett DiGiorgio

UCLA tends to produce offensive linemen who can play multiple positions, and DiGiorgio is no exception. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Bruin started 38 games at right tackle, 10 at right guard, and 1 at left tackle throughout his UCLA career and has the aggressive mentality that Jim Harbaugh will likely be looking for. He’s not particularly quick and has poor range at tackle, so he’ll likely be more of a guard who can move to tackle in emergencies. But with Jamaree Salyer hitting free agency, the Chargers need a player exactly like that, and DiGiorgio has been in their backyard for a while.