As the Los Angeles Chargers haven't made much noise in free agency, Bolts fans now have to hope the organization fills the remaining gaps on the roster in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is wildly already less than a month away.
Signing more free agents is still on the table, of course, as the Chargers still have plenty of salary cap space to work with. But at this point, there aren't many players left on the market who could come in and make a massive difference, as most signings that take place around the league from here on out will be depth pieces.
Trades are still an option for Los Angeles as well, but that could prove difficult, as the organization only has five picks in this year's draft to bargain with. It doesn't seem likely, but we'll see what happens on that end.
With having only those five picks, those being one each in the first four rounds and a sixth-rounder, the Chargers obviously have to make every selection count. But ESPN has them taking an interesting route in its latest mock draft.
ESPN has the Chargers opening the 2026 draft by taking a safety
Field Yates recently constructed a two-round mock for the Worldwide Leader, and while most are expecting the Chargers to take either an edge rusher to make up for losing Odafe Oweh in free agency or an offensive guard with their first-round pick at No. 22 overall, he has them rolling the dice by taking Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
"In this year's deep safety class, McNeil-Warren has a strong shot to be the third one off the board in the first round," Yates wrote. "He is extremely fluid and long, with great play vision and natural disruption skills. He forced three fumbles in 2025, while recording 12 pass breakups and five interceptions over the past three seasons.
"The Chargers have needs at edge and guard to address in the draft, but safety is a sneaky area where they need to get younger. Derwin James Jr. will be a 30-year-old free agent next offseason."
Yates makes some solid points here, and McNeil-Warren, who was named a Second-Team All-American, which isn't an easy thing to do at a school like Toledo, is a solid prospect. But this particular pick might not go over well with fans, given some of the team's more pressing needs.
Yates does have the Bolts addressing one of those needs in Round 2 at No. 55 overall by selecting Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon.
"While the Chargers' offense will look different under new coordinator Mike McDaniel, coach Jim Harbaugh will always have an affinity for big, powerful linemen. Pregnon certainly fits that bill at 314 pounds with an 82â…ž-inch wingspan. He forced defensive players into business decisions during stops at Idaho, USC, and Oregon. The Chargers' need for interior O-line help is well-documented."
If the Chargers, who currently have Cole Strange and Trevor Penning set to start at guard, can snag Pregnon this late, it would be an absolute steal, as the First-Team All-American had the second-highest overall PFF grade among 686 qualifying guards this past year at 88.4.
And breaking things down a touch further, his 88.3 run-blocking grade ranked third, while his 88.0 pass-blocking mark ranked 11th. So, he's got everything Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel (and Justin Herbert) could want on the interior.