The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and Los Angeles Chargers fans finally have something to be excited about. After a disappointing offseason, LA has the chance to make all its moves make sense with a big swing in the draft. With the star Utah Utes' offensive lineman, Caleb Lomu, taking a visit, that swing just might be coming.
The offensive line is still a glaring need for the Chargers. The Bolts did not address it well enough in free agency, so their first-round pick should be spent protecting Justin Herbert and bolstering the offensive trench.
Lomu is expected to be a late-first, early-second round pick, so it is not completely out of the Chargers' range at 22nd overall. However, Lomu is regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the draft, and that's what makes this idea of this pick puzzling. The Chargers need an interior offensive line contributor more than offensive tackle depth.
He has all the physical tools of a pro tackle and was widely successful for the Utes as a member of one of the best offensive lines in the country. His skillset and potential are great, but it just doesn't make sense for the Chargers to take him if someone like IOL Olaivavega Ioane is on the board.
Ioane is without a doubt my dream pick at No. 22, but there is a good chance that he is gone before it is the Chargers' turn to select. In that scenario, it is likely that Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnon is still available and would be my next pick. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus big board, Pregnon is the next best IOL after Ioane, and only 15 spots behind Lomu overall.
Even then, OT Kadyn Proctor would be considered a safer pick than Lomu if the Chargers decided to go the OT depth route, although Proctor has not met with the Chargers. They may take an OT in the first round and hope IOL prospects fall to them in later rounds, but ultimately, it doesn't make much sense for LA to gamble.
After the injuries Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater sustained, I completely understand the thought process of wanting a backup to plug in. But that is a concern that should be addressed later. Most mock drafts have LA taking Proctor if they do take OT, so I would be shocked if Lomu is the pick. It is only a pre-draft visit, so there is nothing to be alarmed about.