We've made it, folks. After months of speculation, mock drafts, and scouting reports, Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft has finally arrived. The Los Angeles Chargers will need to make their move.
Obviously, their primary goal should be to grab a starting-caliber guard. Olaivavega Ioane, however, is the only guard in this class with a true first-round grade from most analysts. He's likely to be off the board by the time the Chargers select.
There are, therefore, a number of directions Los Angeles could go when it's their turn on the clock. Given the number of needs they have along their defense, almost any pick at a premium position would be justifiable. But there is a nightmare scenario here— one that Eric Edholm ironically identified in his latest mock draft for NFL.com.
Edholm has the Chargers slated to select cornerback Jermod McCoy at 22. Out of all the possible paths Los Angeles could take, grabbing a player at a position of non-immediate need with significant injury concerns is likely the worst.
Let's hope the draft board doesn't fall that way on Thursday night.
Chargers should stay away from Jermod McCoy even if he slides into the late first round
In fairness, Edholm's justification for the pick makes sense on the surface:
"I've mostly slotted pass rushers and O-line help to the Chargers, but they also could use a corner. McCoy's medical evaluation is tricky after he missed all of 2025 with an ACL tear, and I don't know how the Bolts view him from a risk standpoint, but a slip from the top half of Round 1 wouldn't stun me, given how he didn't return to full football action until recently, more than a year after suffering the injury."- Eric Edholm, NFL.com
The Chargers' secondary was more than reliable last season, with strong campaigns from Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, and Cam Hart. But it's not like they're completely full on talent at cornerback. Taking a player to provide depth to the postional group in the later rounds would be a defensible move.
Taking McCoy, however, wouldn't be. In his last full season of football in 2024, he was one of the best all-around corners in college. Per Pro Football Focus, he was 10th among qualified players at his position in coverage grade. That fact, combined with his above-average run-defending skill set, made him a player to watch for the 2026 class. But he tore his ACL during an offseason workout, forcing him to miss the entirety of his final season at Tennessee.
This could lead to a draft slide that could plant him firmly in the Chargers' laps.
On the one hand, McCoy performed excellently at his Pro Day, displaying the progress he's made in his rehab. Nothing is truly off the table there given Joe Hortiz's "best player available" philosophy. The Chargers have also been tied to McCoy by various draft analysts in recent days.
But Los Angeles has so many other, more pressing needs that selecting McCoy would be, in some ways, like a slap in the face to the rest of the roster. There's simply too much risk there for it to be worth premium draft capital.
It's a tempting scenario, but it's one the Chargers should avoid at all costs.
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