The Los Angeles Chargers filled a number of depth needs in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Beyond their selections of Akheem Mesidor and Jake Slaughter, both of whom are projected to be day one starters for the team, they also added a number of strong contributors to the roster. Nick Barrett should be able to carve out a role on the interior of the defensive line. Brenen Thompson will compete for a special-teams role with Derius Davis, but he'll likely also be slated for duties in the regular course of the offense. Even Alex Harkey and Logan Taylor, the Chargers' pair of sixth-round selections, should both have a chance to compete for a depth role at guard.
But perhaps no draft pick has more room for growth in OTAs than safety Genesis Smith. Smith, who was one of the Chargers' two fourth-round selections, is a ball-hawking safety out of Arizona. He had struggles as a tackler in the open field in college, but he also has the deep-field skill-set to emerge as a real rotational safety for Los Angeles this season.
He'll be competing with R.J. Mickens and Tony Jefferson for snaps. But if he impresses in OTAs, there's room for him to quickly gain ground in that competition, making him impossible to ignore heading into 2026.
Genesis Smith has room for major growth as Chargers OTAs begin this week
For what it's worth, here's what NFL.com's Greg Zierlien had to say about Smith in his pre-Draft scouting report:
"Smith offers ballhawking coverage qualities but has alarming issues as an open-field tackler. He’s instinctive, with the eyes to digest route development while reading the quarterback like a poker player looking for tells. He has average top-end speed but good route recognition and premium ball skills." Greg Zierlein, NFL.com
Zierlein goes on to critique Smith's run-defending and tackling abilities. But one thing is clear. If he can clean those aspects of his game up, he provides something to the Chargers' secondary that isn't truly present on their roster.
Jefferson, for his part, had a solid 2025 campaign, posting 37 solo tackles and four interceptions. Even at the age of 34, he still has solid tackling abilities, and he can make plays in coverage when asked to. The Chargers brought him back on a one-year, $1.5 million contract for 2026.
Mickens had a solid rookie campaign after his role was enlarged with the trade of Alohi Gilman. He posted 18 solo tackles and two interceptions while playing 47% of the team's defensive snaps.
But Smith is such an instinctive safety in coverage that, if he starts to show improvement as a tackler during the secondary drills in OTAs, he could quickly set himself up to eat into both Mickens' and Jefferson's snap share.
Among the Chargers' many depth-chart battles this offseason, Smith's name will certainly be one to watch.
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