ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has officially unveiled his yearly survey rankings of the top 10 players at every position. The rankings specifically reflect the opinions of scouts, executives, and coaches that Fowler collects via a voting system.
On offense, the players you'd expect got nods for the Chargers. Justin Herbert came in at #7 on the top 10 QBs. Joe Alt was ranked in the top 10 tackles for the first time and Rashawn Slater received an honorable mention. Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden II also received top 10 votes at WR and TE respectively.
The Chargers defense doesn't get rewarded after a top-five finish under former DC Jesse Minter.
Despite all of the action on offense, it was a comparatively very quiet rankings reveal for the team's defenders. S Derwin James was the only Chargers player who got a top 10 nomination or vote. Fowler's survey of NFL personnel ranked him as the second best safety in the league to only Ravens S Kyle Hamilton.
Outside of James, not a single Chargers' defender got a vote. There were no representative defensive players for Los Angeles from any other position in Fowler's rankings.
Chargers final 2026 rankings in the Fowler NFL personnel top 10 polls:
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) July 16, 2026
QB: Justin Herbert, 7th
RB: N/A
WR: Ladd McConkey, received votes
TE: Oronde Gadsden II, received votes
OT: Joe Alt 9th, Rashawn Slater HM
IOL: N/A
EDGE: N/A
DT: N/A
LB: N/A
CB: N/A
S: Derwin James, 2nd
The one that seems a bit harsh is the EDGE snub of Tuli Tuipulotu. After a double-digit sack season and 75 pressures, he outproduced some of the other names in the receiving votes category. Khalil Mack could also be argued, but he is older and dealt with an elbow injury that held him out for about a month in 2025.
The Chargers were a top five total defense last season. They allowed the fifth fewest yards in the league at 285.2 per game. Los Angeles was second in points allowed in 2024 at just 18.5. There were at 19.8 and 8th place in 2025 points per game allowed.
So what is NFL personnel thinking while leaving Chargers players at key defensive positions off of these top 10 rankings lists? One of the key storylines in 2026 will ultimately be whether former DC Jesse Minter's departure affects the quality of Los Angeles' defense. If some players are thought to have benefited from Minter's system, NFL personnel may wait until a successful year without him helming the defense in terms of having full confidence in their top names.
Ultimately, the Chargers will have to prove they're a similar level of top five defense without Minter next season. If they do, names like Tuipulotu's for example could climb the rankings next year. But if new DC Chris O'Leary can't match his predecessor's production, some of the NFL personnel polled next year may not think too highly of LA's defensive talent.
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