The first wave of free agency is now over for the Chargers and the rest of the league. And while they entered it with a lot of cap space to burn, it was more of the same from GM Joe Hortiz in his Ravens-esque philosophy. To be clear, that's not necessarily a criticism. But this March, combined with free agency from last offseason, makes one thing clear. Hortiz does not believe in the "all-in" offseason.
There are pros and cons to that. Obviously, a lot of the money thrown around in free agency isn't inherently good. Former GM Tom Telesco would take a few of the moves from 2022 cycle back. The drawback is that the Chargers are relying more on the draft this year to fill their needs. While Hortiz has largely nailed his first two draft classes, the talent is worse this year and the Chargers only have five draft picks as of now.
Outside of the marginal approach to free agency being a takeway, the Chargers sent another message loud and clear. They believe in Mike McDaniel fixing a lot of the issues himself. Cole Strange is probably going to start at one of the guard spots. They brought in TE Charlie Kolar and FB Alec Ingold to be two of his key blockers. Despite deficiencies along Miami's offensive lines, McDaniel kept a lot of pressure off of QB Tua Tagovailoa with the way he called plays.
In my view, the Chargers left some meat on the bone with offensive line in free agency by missing out on names like Isaac Seumalo, Elgton Jenkins, or Wyatt Teller. But the truth is the front office and coaching staff don't view it that way.
The way the Chargers have gone about free agency has absolutely changed my approach from the first mock draft I wrote. I'll get into that more as we go through the picks.
Full 7-round Chargers mock draft:
Round 1, Pick 22: Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker
In my last mock, the first pick was Penn State OG Olaivavega Ioane. As it stands now, he's not available in that range in most simulations via the PFF mock draft. The key names on the board if the Chargers want a guard are Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor, Oregon OG Emmanuel Pregnon, and Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis.
Proctor tested better than most thought he would athletically, but it's hard to see him as a scheme fit for a Mike McDaniel offense in terms of movement skills. Pregnon is 36th on PFF's board and Bisontis is 48th. Would the Chargers be willing to reach that far in the first round when their free agency approach showed that they don't think the guard spots are that big of an issue? I don't know. A trade back makes sense if they were to take a guard.
Ultimately, Clemson EDGE rusher T.J. Parker made the most sense for me here. The Chargers have not invested a top-50 pick on defense yet in the Hortiz-Harbaugh regime. While they brought back Khalil Mack, they let Odafe Oweh walk to the Commanders in free agency. Eventually, the Chargers also have to have a succession plan for Mack.
Parker has put up 92 pressures and 16 sacks in his last two seasons at Clemson. He's a dominant run defender as well. While Parker is still developing his full bag of pass rush moves, he has one of the best bull rushes in the country. His ability to extend his 33-inch arms into opposing tackles certainly helps. Mack would not be my comp for Parker coming out, but he's the sort of EDGE player to acquire if you're looking at getting proven production this season and replacing Mack long term.
An EDGE in the first three rounds is a non-negotiable for me in this draft. Running it back with Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack while banking on Kyle Kennard to take a step forward doesn't work. Hortiz has also valued having three playable EDGE rushers as we saw last year with Odafe Oweh.
Before you bring the pitchforks out, we're addressing guard next pick.
Trade: Chargers move out of the 55th pick with the Philadelphia Eagles for picks 68 and 114.
At some point in this draft, the Chargers need to trade down. For now, I don't think they've done quite enough in free agency to get by on five picks. Having six would make me feel better about the process.
This trade idea also doesn't come out of nowhere like in most mock simulations. The Chargers had negotiations with the Eagles about trading back in the first round of last year's draft. Hortiz also traded up with the Eagles in the fifth round last year to secure Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsden II.
Philadelphia has nine picks inside the top 200 this year. At some point, I'd imagine they either consolidate a bit in this draft or attempt to trade down for 2027 capital. Philadelphia gets three picks inside the top 55 by accepting this deal. The Chargers now have five picks inside the top 125. It feels like it works for both sides.
Round 3, Pick 68: Georgia Tech OG Keylan Rutledge
The Chargers get to work on the offensive line in this draft by selecting scheme-versatile Keylan Rutledge out of Georgia Tech. There's a world where maybe Los Angeles is truly comfortable starting Trevor Penning and Cole Strange at the guard spots with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back. An upgrade at center with Tyler Biadasz makes that more palatable. But like with EDGE, a top-three round pick at guard is a non-negotiable for me.
Rutledge has allowed just 12 pressures and one sack in his last two seasons at Georgia Tech. In 2025, he boasted a top 10 pass blocking efficiency in the country (99.3) amongst guards that played 50% of snaps. That was tied with Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnon. The value the Chargers are getting with Rutledge here is too good to pass up.
Rutledge also had solid PFF grades as a zone and gap run blocker, but was a touch higher in zone (77.4). He was an elite athletic tester with a 9.53 RAS. That included great shuttle (4.54) and 3 cone (7.54) times specifically.
Sitting at 55, the Chargers miss out on Bisontis and Pregnon. But trading back and getting Rutledge is an excellent outcome.
At some point, the Chargers need cost-controlled draft talent that can start along the offensive line. They can't entirely build the offensive line through free agency every year with how expensive their line is (and eventually will be pricier after a Joe Alt extension). Rutledge would go a long way in making up for the lack of free agent resources pooled into guard.
Round 3, Pick 86: Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny
Talk about a stock bump. I took Michigan's Rayshaun Benny in the sixth round of my last mock with pick 203. Benny is now 94th on PFF's big board.
The Chargers extended DT Teair Tart this offseason. They also signed NT Dalvin Tomlinson from the Cardinals in free agency. But the Chargers do lack true 3-techs.
Potentially, they could squint and see Jamaree Caldwell as a 3-tech. But I'm also not opposed to adding another body to the room to boost the depth of options in general.
Benny played under HC Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and improved as a pass rusher in his final two seasons. On 470 pass snaps in the last two years, Benny created 38 pressures and three sacks. He was always a very solid run defender. Considering the arm length and explosiveness, it also feels like he hasn't completely hit his ceiling in college.
Benny would get to reunite with former college coach Mike Elston as well. Michigan players will always get mocked to the Chargers because of the head coach, but this pairing and fit make sense to me in boosting the versatility of the current DT room.
Round 4, Pick 114: Washington CB Tacario Davis
The Chargers let CB Benjamin St-Juste walk to the Packers in free agency. In Tacario Davis, they get a lengthy, tall corner that can likely take his place. Davis allowed a 50.6 passer rating when targeted in his final collegiate season. He also played 167 special teams snaps at Washington in his final three seasons. Davis has 33-inch arms and a 6'3" frame.
Davis was a little grabby in college with 10 penalties in the last two seasons. But that can be coached and worked on. It's less frequent that you find someone at his size and quickness who can tackle. Davis had a top-five 40 time at CB at last month's combine with a 4.41. He missed just one tackle last year and only six in his last three collegiate seasons.
The Chargers don't need to take a cornerback super high in this draft, but it would be nice to have a piece they can add to the rotation following St-Juste's departure.
Round 4, Pick 123: USC WR Ja'Kobi Lane
A guard and three defensive picks so far in this mock. The Chargers have eaten their vegetables. Now they can take a toy for Mike McDaniel. Enter 6'4" USC X wideout Ja'Kobi Lane.
Makai Lemon is the more buzzed about USC prospect for a reason, but I had a lot of fun watching Lane's tape. For a 6'4" receiver, he's a very fluid mover. Lane had a career h-gh 2.42 yards per route run and 81.8 PFF receiving grade last season. He averaged 15.3 yards per reception and became a big-play threat for the Trojans. On just eight more targets than he had in 2024, Lane had 225 more yards this past season (750 total).
Jeremy Fowler listed Chargers WR Quentin Johnston as a trade candidate as he heads into possibly the last year of his contract. Pair that rumor with the Chargers' supposed interest in free agent candidates like Alec Pierce or Mike Evans. It just doesn't feel like the Chargers are done adding weapons. If they were to move on from Johnston, they'd probably want another X in the draft. WR Tre' Harris trained in more of the Z role last season.
Personally, I'm not even ruling out a first-round pick used on a prospect like Denzel Boston or Jordyn Tyson. But the median outcome is probably more of a day two or three pick at wideout.
Baby Mike Williams, come on down.
Round 6, Pick 204: Ohio State TE Will Kacmarek
I was ultimately torn on what to do with this last pick. A backup offensive line prospect to develop makes sense. I do think they also have a need still in the tight end room with only Oronde Gadsden II and Charlie Kolar currently on the eventual 53-man roster (Thomas Yassmin and Tanner McLachlan are on futures deals).
I ended up going with Ohio State's Will Kacmarek to split the difference. There might be a little overlap with Kolar here, but last year proved the Chargers need as many good blockers as they can get. Unless Gadsden takes a massive leap as a blocker, I still think that's true now.
Kacmarek was primarily a dominant Y-blocker for Ohio State last season, but he has some receiving chops. He had 168 receiving yards last season with a 147 passer rating when targeted. For his whole college career, he had 65 receptions for 761 yards.
He can be relied on in pass protection and as a run blocker. Perhaps the pick is redundant with Kolar, but as of now the Chargers have just two real players in the TE room right now. Take the talent and figure out how it fits later.