We're just over two months away from the 2026 NFL Draft. Free agency is now less than a month away as the offseason will soon kick into high gear. It's time for my first mock draft exercise to evaluate current Chargers needs and potential talent fits at said positions.
As we see with the draft every year, things will change. The NFL Combine is roughly two weeks away. Team scouts and coaching staff personnel will fly around the country to different school pro days. More information, athletic testing, medicals (and maybe some overthinking) will change where prospects fall on consensus boards. Free agency itself will change some of the needs for the team.
But for now, let's see how this mock draft played out before everything changes next month:
Full 7-round Chargers mock draft:
Round 1, Pick 22: Penn State OG Olaivavega Ioane
Free agency will change a number of things for the Chargers once we see just how aggressive Joe Hortiz is in upgrading the interior offensive line. But when you're sitting in the PFF mock draft simulator at 22, it's difficult to pick anything but IOL for the time being. The best option for me at this spot was Olaivavega Ioane, a true Jim Harbaugh physical guard who has not given up a sack since November 4th, 2023. Brandon Staley was still the head coach of the Chargers when Ioane last allowed a sack vs. Maryland.
With offensive linemen (especially in the first round), it's important to see a player who took positive progressions every year. Ioane did just that:
Pressures allowed by Ioane from 2023-2025: 14, 12, then 4 this past season.
Ioane's pass blocking efficiency by year from 2023-2025: 97.0, 98.4, then 99.3 this past season.
He had positive PFF run blocking grades out of both gap and zone blocking schemes over 70. Filtered to guards who played 20% of their teams' snaps, Ioane was second in the country in gap blocking grade at 73.6. He frequently gets to the second level in the run game.
Ioane is particularly good at diffusing opposing pass rush reps early before they can put pressure on the quarterback.
There probably will be scheme fit questions as Ioane projects better to the Greg Roman gap-heavy offense than a Mike McDaniel unit with a lot of outside zone. But considering the level of prospect he is, it's hard to consider that a true knock on him. Ioane also has better movement skills on tape than one would expect, considering his size.
Regardless of what happens with Zion Johnson or Mekhi Becton, Ioane is the best candidate for the first-round pick.
Round 2, Pick 55: Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds
Do the Chargers need a second-round corner, per se? No. But D'Angelo Ponds being available for me to take at this point in the PFF mock simulation became a best player available situation. Whether he's a nickel in the NFL or plays the outside, Ponds is an incredible athlete with tremendous DB skills.
In his last three seasons, Ponds has allowed an average passer rating of just 54.1 when targeted. He had the highest PFF defense (89.9) and coverage (89.5) grades of his collegiate career in 2025. Ponds was one of Curt Cignetti's James Madison stalwarts who came over to Indiana with him. At both levels, he showed himself to be one of the best corners in college football.
There are size questions with Ponds from many in draft media. Not from me though! He might be every inch of 5'9" but he plays bigger than that. His performance against Miami in the CFP National Championship game was unreal against wideouts who had size advantages over him. Six targets, three PBUs, one catch allowed for one yard. 39.6 passer rating allowed. Throughout the CFP, Ponds stepped up in run support and proved he wasn't too small to tackle from his corner spot.
Whether he plays nickel or outside, Ponds gives the Chargers a lot of versatility. Derwin James can play the slot in addition to Tarheeb Still and Ponds. Cam Hart, Donte Jackson, Ponds, and Still could all play outside. It never hurts to add more DB talent in a Jesse Minter/Chris O'Leary scheme, even if they don't "need" a guy.
Round 3, Pick 86: Kansas State C Sam Hecht
At the moment, two of the first four picks (if not two of the first three) basically have to be offensive linemen. In addition to dealing with the respective Becton and Johnson situations at guard as mentioned earlier, the Chargers also need a center. It seems like Bradley Bozeman has probably played his last snap with Los Angeles.
Sam Hecht from Kansas State allowed zero sacks and just eight pressures last season. As mentioned with Ioane earlier, Hecht also improved as a pass protector each year in college. He finished his final season with a 98.9 pass blocking efficiency. Hecht was also PFF's 9th highest graded run blocking center in college football last season out of 186.
He was the fourth-highest graded run blocker by PFF in zone. That's where things get interesting with Mike McDaniel now in the fold. His footwork and movement skills project pretty well for a team that will run a lot of outside zone concepts. OL coach Butch Barry and McDaniel also got the best performance out of All-Pro Aaron Brewer at just 6'1" and 295 pounds.
Hecht showed out against top competition at the Senior Bowl including Texas Tech's Lee Hunter.
Realistically, Hecht doesn't play in year one and the Chargers ideally sign someone like Tyler Linderbaum or Connor McGovern in free agency to man the center spot. But the Chargers simply need more offensive linemen as a whole with their depth currently non-existent. Trevor Penning, Andre James, Trey Pipkins, Austin Deculus, and Jamaree Salyer are all free agents this year. If Hecht is your backup center for a year or two instead of the top guy, that's more than fine. His time will come.
Trade: Chargers move out of the 123rd pick with the New York Giants for picks 143 and 191.
Is simulating day three trades in a February mock degenerate behavior? Probably. But the Chargers are low on draft capital this year after trading their fifth-round pick for EDGE Odafe Oweh.
In 2024, they also traded their 2026 seventh-rounder for S Elijah Molden. The Chargers should also consider the possibility of trading back in the first round. But outside of that, getting more at-bats on day three is the move for me.
Round 5, Pick 143: Western Michigan EDGE Nadame Tucker
Nadame Tucker will probably be the most targeted mock draft day three Chargers player of all time. The former JUCO EDGE had a great 2025 campaign as he finally got his chance to shine at Western Michigan. Under new Chargers DC Chris O'Leary (and new Chargers ILBs coach Sean Spence), Tucker put up 14.5 sacks, 61 pressures, and 21 tackles for loss in his final college season.
The connections to the new Chargers defensive staff are obvious. But Tucker has a skillset that warrants attention from them and GM Joe Hortiz. His first step, quick hands, and rip move are in the mold of what a smaller designated pass rusher needs to succeed in the NFL. In a way, he's kind of the day three prospect version of Oklahoma EDGE R Mason Thomas.
Tucker might not be an every-down EDGE at the next level, but he has a lot of potential on 3rd and 4th downs as another chess piece for O'Leary. Assuming the Chargers get Khalil Mack and Oweh back, he also doesn't need to be an instant producer.
Tucker is one of the older prospects in the draft which might be a drawback for some people. He'll turn 26 in June. But you're not drafting him to be a superstar EDGE in the fifth round. You're asking him to use some of his pass-rush precision and explosiveness in spurts to help the current group.
Round 6, Pick 191: Utah TE Dallen Bentley
Tight end is a sneaky need for the Chargers this year. To be clear, Oronde Gadsden II had a great rookie season and projects well in the future for the team. But outside of him, what exactly is there on the roster? Will Dissly clearly fell out of favor with the coaching staff and may get cut. Tyler Conklin's signing didn't pan out like the team would've hoped. Do either Tucker Fisk or Scott Matlock fit the McDaniel vision in 2026?
Utah's Dallen Bentley is the prototypical Y blocking tight end with a fair amount of upside as a pass catcher. Bentley specifically exploded as a pass-catching option in 2025 with 620 yards and six touchdowns on the season.
Getting a true road-grading run blocker to pair with Gadsden is a pretty fun thought. The Chargers could also pair both of them with an external TE free agent at a fairly cost-effective deal. It's a fairly deep free agent class at the position.
Gadsden will be a great player, but he should not carry the tight end room alone. Harbaugh and McDaniel will require more playable tight ends than the Chargers had last year for the new scheme.
Round 6, Pick 203: Michigan DT Rayshaun Benny
It wouldn't be a Chargers mock draft without a proper amount of Michigan pandering for Harbaugh. But in all seriousness, Rayshaun Benny impressed at the Senior Bowl and broke through as a pass rusher in 2025. He was top 15 amongst all Big Ten IDL in pass rush pressures with 17. Benny is an explosive athlete with great hands. Frankly, it surprises me that he's ranked this low on draft boards.
Good arms (33 4/8 as measured at the Senior Bowl) give him great extension ability as both a pass rusher and run defender. Benny was 13th in the country last season in PFF run defense grade out of nearly 500 defensive tackles.
Benny obviously played under Harbaugh for three seasons at Michigan. But he also played under current Chargers DL coach Mike Elston in 2022 and 2023.