The 2025 NFL season has surpassed its midway point and with it went the 2025 NFL trade deadline. With no moves impacting future roster-building, LA Chargers fans now have a definitive idea of what the team will need next spring to continue building on the Jim Harbaugh-led foundation.
Right now, the main focus is getting past the litany of offensive line injuries to make a run at the NFL Playoffs. However, given the nature of NFL media, it's always fun to look ahead at what could be in the 2026 NFL Draft. After all, it is less than six months away.
Using Pro Football Focus' Mock Draft simulator, we put together a three-round mock draft based on the team's current needs. We won't pretend to be bonafide experts on every top-100 prospect in the draft before truly diving into the tape, but our baseline college football knowledge is enough for the first three rounds.
Plus, these selections are based just as much on team need as they are on the players themselves.
Way-too-early 3-round Chargers 2026 NFL Mock Draft:
Pick No. 22: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The Chargers notoriously pick best player available under GM Joe Hortiz and the best player left in this simulation is LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
That's not to say the Chargers don't need cornerback help moving forward. As great as Tarheeb Still is, the long-term depth of the position could use some juice. Cam Hart has taken a step back in his sophomore season while Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste are fill-in options.
Mansoor would give the Chargers another staple cornerback to build Jesse Minter's defense around (if he stays in LA next season, that is). It would be the first defensive player the Chargers took in the first round since Kenneth Murray in 2020.
Pick No. 54: Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
You're telling me Jim Harbaugh isn't going to draft a mauling offensive lineman named Slaughter? Think again.
Center has to be one of the biggest priorities of the offseason for the Chargers. Los Angeles ran it back with Bradley Bozeman because of his veteran leadership and he has only proven that leadership does not turn into tangible results.
Bozeman has once again been one of the worst starting centers in the sport. It's time for the Chargers to stop trusting stopgap options and draft someone who can be the franchise center for years to come. A mauling center like Slaughter has the makings of being that guy.
Pick No. 86: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
The Chargers traded for Odafe Oweh weeks before the NFL trade deadline but the team still needs an injection of youth in the room. Fourth-round pick Kyle Kennard hasn't played much in 2025 and shouldn't be trusted as the piece to step up. Thus, the Chargers keep the cycle going with more edge rusher help.
Khalil Mack is on a one-year deal this season and could walk away. Even if he re-signs, he may not last more than another year or two. Tuli Tuipulotu is a free agent after the 2026 season and Oweh is a free agent this spring.
This very well could change if the Chargers re-up both Mack and Oweh, or if the team spends big on another edge rusher in free agency. But right now, edge rusher is a big enough need to spend a top-100 pick on, especially with the projected mid-round talent in this draft class.