Last time the LA Chargers traded with the New England Patriots in the NFL Draft, it yielded Ladd McConkey and Tarheeb Still. Two years later, general manager Joe Hortiz strikes again and the outcome could very well be the same.
Except this time, the Chargers traded down in the second round instead of trading up. Los Angeles traded out of the No. 55 pick, picking up two extra day-three picks in the process. For their efforts, the Chargers moved down eight spots.
The full details of the trade can be seen below. If the Chargers' history tells us anything, it's that the Bolts will use the picks from the Patriots to draft legitimate difference makers.
Chargers trade: Pick 55
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 25, 2026
Patriots trade: Picks 63, 131, 202
Patriots give the Chargers exactly what they wanted with trade-up
It's been the worst secret in the league that Hortiz wanted to trade down during the NFL Draft. Hortiz values having as many bites at the apple as possible and with only five picks in the draft he was clearly going to work the phones to change that equation.
Hortiz practically spoiled that he was going to do this when talking to reporters on Thursday night. The Chargers GM shared that he didn't get any offers for the No. 22 pick, but that teams were already calling for the No. 55 pick. Hortiz turned that interest into a fourth and sixth-round pick.
Los Angeles didn't have its fifth-round pick after trading for Odafe Oweh at the trade deadline. It also didn't have a seventh-round pick after trading for Elijah Molden in 2025. With this trade, the Chargers essentially upgraded from those two picks for moving down eight spots in the second round.
The mid-to-late second round is always a crapshoot and there's a good chance the Chargers will still have multiple options at 63 that they could have picked at 55. This is a genius example of capitalizing on another team's desperation for a prospect.
The McConkey trade aged like fine wine for Hortiz and the Chargers and with the right picks, this trade could see the exact same fate. History tells us that Hortiz just got the better of the Patriots and that he will make the most of the picks he wasn't supposed to have in the first place.
He may get rightful criticism for his lack of spending in free agency, but Hortiz has truly been a wizard during the NFL Draft in his three years as Chargers GM. This is just another example of his magic.
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