The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and we are all very close to finding out how the Los Angeles Chargers will use their five picks to bolster the roster.
We have touched on numerous topics in an attempt to forecast what general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh will do come April 23. We have published three seven-round mock drafts. We have dug into first-round options. We have looked at Day 2 prospects. And we have discussed trade-down scenarios.
Now, it is time to get to some of your more specific draft questions.
You ask. I answer.
It’s the mailbag.
Is there any reality where the Chargers take best player available and it’s a tackle at 22? Are they confident Slater will be back to his All-Pro self? Could moving him to guard make any sense? — @kodakzak
All good questions. All worth answering.
The only way I see the Chargers drafting a tackle at No. 22 is if they believe that tackle can kick inside to guard. The need on the roster right now is at left guard.
Trevor Penning is the current starter. The Chargers signed free agent Kayode Awosika, who provides depth at both guard spots. They should add a player in this draft who can compete with Penning for the starting spot at left guard. Penning showed positive signs at left guard playing for the New Orleans Saints last season before the Chargers acquired him at the deadline. He has the athleticism to play in offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme. But it is clear to me that the Chargers require more firepower at this position.
There are tackles in this class that could move to guard. Utah’s Spencer Fano, who is Dane Brugler’s No. 8 overall player, is one example. All these options, however, are projections. Fano started 36 games at Utah, all of them at tackle. Miami’s Francis Mauigoa could move to guard, but he started all 42 of his college games at tackle. Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor made all 40 of his college starts at tackle. The same goes for Utah’s Caleb Lomu and Clemson’s Blake Miller. Lomu started 24 games. All of those starts were at left tackle. Miller started 54 games, 52 at right tackle and two at left tackle.
Among these options, I think Fano, Lomu and Miller have the type of movement skills necessary to play guard in McDaniel’s scheme. Still, this is pure projection because they do not have any college film at guard.
If the Chargers do take a college tackle with the intention of moving him to guard, that comes with the added bonus of tackle insurance. I think that would be a secondary motivation to finding competition at left guard.
The Chargers are confident that both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt will be back and performing well this coming season. Slater is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in August. Alt’s 2025 season ended because of an ankle injury. Slater’s injury is more serious.
Moving Slater to guard makes no sense to me. He is already trying to overcome a severe knee injury. Asking him to move to a new position simultaneously only multiplies the difficulty of an already challenging rehab process.
Slater at left tackle. Alt at right tackle. I believe that is the plan. The Chargers re-signed Trey Pipkins III as their swing tackle. Drafting a tackle at No. 22 would provide another contingency. But in this scenario, I think the Chargers would be eyeing that player as a potential answer at left guard.
How involved is Mike McDaniel in the draft process, and has his zone-blocking scheme changed the profile of linemen you’re targeting? — @olibelanger8
McDaniel was involved in free agency, and he will be involved in the draft process.
A big part of this offseason so far has been targeting players that fit McDaniel’s scheme. The Chargers will be moving from a more downhill gap run-blocking scheme under Greg Roman to an outside-zone scheme under McDaniel. Outside zone generally requires more range and athleticism because offensive linemen are asked to move laterally.
Cole Strange has these movement skills. The Chargers signed him in free agency to be their starting right guard. Tight end Charlie Kolar has these movement skills. The Chargers cut Will Dissly and did not bring back Tucker Fisk. Both those tight ends were better fits in Roman’s run scheme.
The shift in scheme has dramatically changed the profile of the linemen the Chargers are targeting. Hortiz said this pretty explicitly at the combine in February. “Just more range,” Hortiz said then of what type of linemen he is seeking. “Guys that can get to the cut-off blocks and reach and get out in space.”
That profile was top of mind as the Chargers went through free agency and passed over some available guards. That profile will remain a priority as the Chargers look to add linemen in the draft.
Do you see a scenario where the Chargers do not take an offensive lineman until Day 3? — @ElectricEdgePod
I do not see a scenario where the Chargers wait until Day 3 to draft an offensive lineman.
I strongly believe this is a position the Chargers must address in the first three rounds. Specifically, I think they need to find the aforementioned competition at left guard. That competition could come in Round 1. It could come in Round 2 or even Round 3. There are options, from Penn State’s Vega Ioane to Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis to Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge to Kentucky’s Jalen Farmer.
Any QJ trade talks to get more draft capital this year? — @nealworldfamous
Trading Quentin Johnston for a mediocre return is illogical for multiple reasons. First and foremost, he is a cheap, ascending player. Johnston is due to make just $2.68 million in base salary this season on the fourth year of his rookie deal, according to Over the Cap. His cap hit is $4.51 million. If Johnston stays healthy, he will provide surplus value at this price. Johnston still has untapped potential, particularly as a yards-after-the-catch player. I think the Chargers are fascinated to see what Johnston can be in McDaniel’s offense.
Hortiz is hunting value. Johnston is a value player at this stage of his career.
The Chargers have to make a decision on Johnston’s fifth-year option before May 1. That is a different conversation. Johnston’s fifth-year option for 2027 is projected to cost $18 million. I could see the Chargers looking at that price and saying, “No thanks.” But for $2.68 million, Johnston makes a ton of sense.
Even if the Chargers decline the fifth-year option, they get to see him in McDaniel’s scheme. Johnston is under contract for 2026 regardless. Let’s say McDaniel maximizes Johnston’s skill set. Johnston has a great year as a result. He then heads into free agency in 2027 as an attractive piece. Johnston could sign for $15 million to $17 million per year elsewhere as a free agent. He then factors into the compensatory pick formula as a potential fourth-round pick in 2028. A hypothetical scenario but also a realistic one.
No player is off limits, of course. If a team were to offer the Chargers, say, a second-round pick for Johnston, they should listen. But trading him for a Day 3 pick is just bad business.
What are the most likely FA options post-draft? — @MrMusiq619
If the Chargers do not come away from this draft with a viable third option at edge rusher, I think they could target that position in the post-draft wave of free agency. They re-signed Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuipulotu is under contract. Odafe Oweh, meanwhile, walked in free agency. The Chargers have not replaced him.
The ideal option is finding that replacement at some point in the first two days of the draft. If that does not happen, though, the Chargers could turn their focus to a pretty robust group of veteran edge rushers that are still available. They could reunite with Joey Bosa. Jadeveon Clowney, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd are also still on the board.
