Given their overall lack of late-round capital in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers may certainly be in search of a trade-back opportunity.
As it stands, they are without both their fifth and seventh-round selections, which they included in the Odafe Oweh and Elijah Molden deals, respectively. They have needs to fill both at offensive guard and along their defense. If Olaivavega Ioane, the class's top guard, doesn't fall to them at 22, they'd likely be better off trading back.
Most of the speculation surrounding such a move has centered around them moving back into the second round. Once there, they'd likely be able to grab both a starting-caliber guard and a premier defensive line talent while adding additional Day-3 capital to boot.
But NFL.com's recent 2026 NFL Mock Draft, drawn up by Chad Reuter, has them taking an even more intriguing route, trading for the Kansas City Chiefs' 29th overall selection and nabbing defensive tackle Kayden McDonald in the process.
Not only does this seem like a realistic scenario, but it might turn out to be Los Angeles' best shot at moving down and still claiming a premier talent with their first selection.
NFL.com's recent mock draft hypothesizes the perfect Chargers' trade-back scenario
First, let's explore why this trade makes sense for both sides. The Chargers likely need to claim either a defensive tackle or an edge rusher in addition to a starting-caliber guard early in the Draft. As draft day has approached, there's been buzz that a number of top defensive tackle and edge rusher prospects could rise up into the first round.
If they have a certain player in mind, moving to the end of the first round instead of the beginning of the second could give them a much better shot at landing that piece. They would also net an additional third-round pick in the process.
On Kansas City's part, GM Brett Veach has already indicated that the team might be interested in grabbing an offensive tackle late in the first round. In this mock trade, they land Kadyn Proctor out of Alabama. But with just Spencer Fano and Monroe Freeling off the board, they'd have a full range of starting-caliber tackles to choose from at this point in the draft, getting ahead of a potential run late on Day 1.
Although Ioane should be the real target for the Chargers, McDonald would be a worthy consolation prize. Across 14 games in his senior season at Ohio State, he amassed 65 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks.
He has the abilities as a run defender to immediately make an impact on the Chargers' defensive line, and he has the size and strength to progress as a disruptive pass rusher.
While Los Angeles' trade back opportunities aren't necessarily looking plentiful at this point in the draft cycle, this is a realistic opportunity that could prove to be their ideal outcome.
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