There's a lot of speculation around what the LA Chargers will do with the No. 22 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Whether it be an offensive pick, defensive pick, or a trade down, it all depends on who is on the board and what happens the 21 selections prior.
There isn't one concrete path that is better than the rest. If there was, the Chargers would be pigeonholing themselves, which is the worst thing a team can do. Just like the first two drafts under Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz, the Chargers have options.
That being said, there is one route the Bolts absolutely should avoid at all costs. And no, this doesn't involve an unrealistic player the Chargers will never take anyway, like Ty Simpson. This is an actual path that has been speculated on, and should be avoided.
The Chargers must avoid drafting a wide receiver early in the 2026 NFL Draft
Wide receivers are flashy. They are exciting. They are fun. If a big name falls to the Bolts in the first round there will undoubtedly be a plethora of fans who are clamoring for the selection.
The Chargers have to avoid the noise. There is no home-run wide receiver prospect worth taking in the back-half of the first round. Taking a wide receiver with any of the first three picks in the draft, in a year where the Bolts only have five selections, would be foolish.
Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnson and Tre' Harris make up a solid foundation in the wide receiver. There's still room for the Chargers to re-sign Keenan Allen, which Hortiz said he wanted to do earlier in the offseason. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is ready for a bigger year in his second season. There's still room for a big swing like Tyreek Hill if the team really wanted (although that seems unlikely).
There's just no place for a rookie wideout on this team. Sure, there's no such thing as too much wide receiver talent, but the other needs the Chargers have should usurp an abundance of riches at wide receiver.
Plus, there are exciting wide receivers in every single draft class. The Chargers can take one early in the 2027 NFL Draft if the team finds itself in a position where it needs wide receiver talent. Using a valuable pick now on a receiver to maybe have an impact two-plus years from now is a bad use of resources.
The Chargers likely know this, which is why fans should probably take wide receiver out of their mock drafts heading into April's showcase. But if the front office doesn't know this and takes a wideout early, the team will definitely live to regret it.