Draft day has come and gone and with it the Los Angeles Chargers and GM Joe Hortiz ran away with a bag. Originally the Chargers were slated to only have five draft picks, but with a solid poker face and an affinity for amazing late round scouting, the Chargers turned five picks into eight players.
With the 22nd pick in the NFL draft, the Chargers selected Akheem Mesidor, EDGE (edge rusher) out of the University of Miami. Mesidor is an amazing pick for the Chargers after they lost Odafe Oweh to freeagency. Oweh’s price tag was a little too high for the Chargers even with the high cap space they had. Losing him may end up gaining the Chargers a Third-round compensatory pick in the 2027 NFL draft, it still left a gaping hole in the pass rush. Mesidor fills that as an automatic plug and play player. Some people might be upset that he is turning 25 in his rookie season and is as old as Tuli Tuipulotu. Tuli, who is going into his 4th NFL season, but people are not understanding the caliber of player we are getting with amazing college experience in a similar scheme. He brings massive value with quick hands and a great get off. The trio of Tuli, Mack, and Mesidor will be a force this upcoming season.
In the 2nd round of the NFL, the Chargers traded back with the New England Patriots. They traded away the 55th pick and received the Patriots 63rd pick as well as pick 131 and pick 202. By trading back eight spots, the Chargers gained two extra draft picks to be able to work with in the later rounds.
With trading down the Bolts were able select someone they would have happily taken at pick 55. Jake Slaughter, OL from the University of Florida. Graded as the best center in the draft, Slaughter was an absolute steal at pick 63. I know what you’re thinking, “Didn’t we just get a center this free agency?” Yes, we did in Tyler Biadasz, but a pick like Slaughter proves we are planning for the future. Not only is Slaughter an amazing center, leader, and has high football, but he can also play almost every position on the offensive line. With an injury prone year on our offensive line last year, this tells us the Chargers are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Someone who can grow and learn to be a center in the NFL but also swing into any position of need we might need to put him into.
Coming into the 3rd round of the draft the Chargers traded back a second time. This time with the Cleveland Browns. Chargers traded the 86th pick and received the Browns pick 105, 145, and 206. Again, making even more room for getting amazing players and creating maneuverability for trading up when they saw a player they liked. The Chargers would go into day three of the draft with seven picks.
In the 4th round and the start of day 3, the Chargers selected Brenen Thompson. A WR (wide receiver) out of Mississippi State, the Chargers drafted an absolute speedster. Thompson ran a 4.26 40-yard dash. The fastest in this year’s NFL combine and the 3rd fastest time in combine history. Thompson will be amazing to see in Mike McDaniel’s offense. Go watch this kid’s highlight reel from college and tell me it doesn’t get you excited for this upcoming season. With speed like his and being able to stretch defenses, this was an amazing draft pick by the Chargers.
The Chargers made their 3rd trade in the NFL draft, Trading pick 123 and 204 to the Houston Texans for pick number 117.
With the 117th pick of the NFL draft, the Chargers selected Travis Burke. Out of the University of Memphis, Burke is a beast of an offensive lineman. A swing tackle that is almost 6 foot 9 inches tall and 320lbs, he is now the tallest offensive lineman the Chargers have; long arms and an extremely high ceiling. A player that could get reps right away at guard and could be extremely useful to the Chargers. at the very least a critical depth piece and at the best a starting caliber swing tackle or guard. I like this move for the Chargers, it shows they are addressing the line not only with versatility but with size.
The Chargers third 4th round pick, at pick 131 they select safety Genesis Smith. A solid selection at safety, being 6 foot 2 inches tall and fast, Smith will fit in great into the defense to allow Derwin James to do what he does best. Smith and RJ Mickens will be a great tandem at getting reps in at deep safety.
Draft pick 145, the Chargers select DT (defensive tackle) Nick Barrett. Out of the University of South Carolina, Barrett is a great run defender and a blue-chip player for one of the Chargers scouts. A blue-chip player is something that every scout gets only one of. Barrett was one for the Chargers and were very fortunate that he was. He is versatile and has a huge ceiling when it comes to the progression of his game. A space eater that will be great for the Chargers in the middle. For a fifth-round pick and the addition of Tomlinson in the off season, the Chargers interior defensive line is shaping up to be much more impressive than last year. With Barrett it brings hope for years to come.
To finish out the draft the Chargers had two sixth-round picks. They decided to take two guards.
First of the two sixth-round picks is Logan Taylor. With pick 202 Chargers select G Logan Taylor out of Boston College. Six-foot-six, 315lbs. The average height of the Chargers offensive lineman is going to be around six-foot-six, which is insane and means that defenses will really have to work in order to get through the line to get to Justin Herbert. A swing guard that could potentially turn into a starting guard, he has experience at almost every position on the line which again is a huge deal for depth.
To round out the draft the Chargers, with the 206th pick select G Alex Harkey from Oregon. Previously playing tackle at Oregon, Harkey is someone again that will great for swing tackle or guard depth but also has a high ceiling potential after playing for one of the best programs in the league in college. Standing at six-foot-five and weighing 315lbs proves another massive body to add to the offensive line.
After starting the draft with five picks, the Chargers end up taking eight players and using half of those picks as offensive lineman. That was the Chargers achilleas heel last season and with a healthy offensive line there is a very real possibility that we could have been going to the Superbowl or even hoisting a Lombardi trophy. Mike McDaniel is also an offensive lineman guru that is truly able to get the most out of unknown lineman. This draft class has grit and intelligence that feels like an amazing start to the off season. Don’t forget about the Chargers still having leftover cap space to play with as well. We may be four months out from the start of the NFL football season, but electricity is already in the air after this year’s draft.
Article by Chris Fisher