The LA Chargers had an easy decision to make this offseason. Los Angeles had to say goodbye to Pro-Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa because of his bloated salary-cap hit, and essentially used that cap space to re-sign veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack.
Mack is on a year-by-year basis after signing a one-year contract with the Bolts. There is no guarantee that Mack will be in LA after the 2025 season and the Chargers have to prepare for the long-term future without him.
General manager Joe Hortiz may have just kicked the problem down the line to the 2026 NFL Draft. That is exactly what Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone thinks the Chargers are doing as he has the Bolts taking Mack's replacement with the No. 22 overall pick in his way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft.
Chargers draft Dani Dennis-Sutton in way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft
It's always hard to pinpoint exactly what the first round of the NFL Draft will hold, especially nine months in advance. The Chargers are not locked into the No. 22 pick and there is no guarantee that Dani Dennis-Sutton will even be in range for the Bolts.
The projections for Dennis-Sutton are as wide-ranging as it gets. Pro Football Focus ranks him the No. 29 prospect in their early big board while Bleacher Report gives him a fourth-round grade in their latest scouting report.
The Penn State edge rusher recorded 8.5 sacks with 13 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles last season. With Abdul Carter now in the NFL, Dennis-Sutton has a real opportunity to emerge as the premier edge rusher for what should be a Naitonal Championship contender.
The potential is certainly there with Dennis-Sutton. His combination of length and athleticism is tantalizing as an NFL prospect. That being said, if he takes too big of a step in 2025, he will inevitably play himself out of the Chargers' range as his impressive athletic traits will be matched by his production.
Either way, the Chargers are destined to take an edge rusher early in the 2026 NFL Draft and that likely won't be the only means. Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree and Kyle Kennard is a good start for the room in 2026 but it will inevitably need more help. The cleanest way to do that is via the draft.
Who that edge rusher might be is way up in the air. Perhaps it's Dennis-Sutton. perhaps it's someone else. Time will tell.