While there are still plenty of notable names who have yet to find a new home in free agency, many rosters around the league are close to being what they're going to be heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, which is wildly already less than two weeks away, with the opening round from Pittsburgh set to kick off on Thursday night, April 23.
As such, our good friend Lou Scataglia at NFL Spin Zone recently took the time to construct a new set of pre-draft power rankings. And while the Los Angeles Chargers certainly haven't made as much noise as some thought they might in free agency, they're still hanging around the top 10, actually finishing just outside at No. 11. As one would imagine, Scataglia hit the big need surrounding the Bolts heading into this offseason as his reasoning for placing Jim Harbaugh & Co. where he did.
"Los Angeles didn't do as much along the offensive line as you would have liked, but there is a 'high floor' presence with this current group."
For those wondering, we'll give you a quick look at the 10 teams that placed higher than LA.
- Seattle Seahawks
- Denver Broncos
- Los Angeles Rams
- New England Patriots
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Detroit Lions
I can't say I agree with every single choice there (or the order), but it's tough to argue a lot of it. Chargers fans obviously can't like seeing the Broncos there at No. 2, so we'll put a smile on your face by telling you that the Kansas City Chiefs are all the way down at No. 25, while the Las Vegas Raiders are right behind at No. 26.
The Chargers still need to add some interior offensive line help
It's certainly no secret that the Chargers' offensive line was one of the worst in the league this past season. And it certainly still isn't what it could be or maybe even should be, given all the money LA had to spend. But it's undoubtedly going to be better than it was.
For starters, of course, the Bolts will welcome both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back into the mix, which almost feels like they actually did make big moves in the offseason, given the production these two provide. I mean, even missing more than half the year with an ankle injury, Alt still made the Pro Bowl (and not as an alternate).
But the interior still needs to be upgraded. Yes, the center position is unquestionably stronger, as the Chargers signed Tyler Biadasz to replace the retired Bradley Bozeman. But there are concerns at both guard spots.
Cutting Mekhi Becton was obviously the right thing to do, and letting Zion Johnson walk into free agency seemed to be the right call as well. But as the depth chart stands now, you've got a returning Trevor Penning (still not sure why that move was made) slotted in at left guard, and then you've got new arrival Cole Strange at right guard.
It's fun to say you've got two first-rounders on the interior, but these aren't the kinds of first-rounders you really want. Don't get me wrong; I think they're fine as backups and depth pieces and such, but the Chargers either need to keep looking in the free-agent market (there are options there) or use one of their five draft picks to address the problem.
Scataglia is spot-on when he says the Chargers still have what he called a "high floor presence," as there are a lot of good football players on this team and an exciting new coaching staff in place. But something tells me they'd be in the top 10 of these rankings if even one of those guard spots looked different.