It's impossible to know what the LA Chargers will do in the 2026 NFL Draft before free agency begins. Prior to any actual signings, it's unclear which roster needs the Chargers will fill in free agency and which will be filled in the draft.
That being said, general manager Joe Hortiz is already laying some tea leaves. Hortiz spoke with Omar Navarro of Chargers.com and outlined his perspective heading into free agency. In that self-reflection, Hortiz dropped a nugget that may be foreshadowing the Chargers' plans in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
"I think there's an opportunity to attack it in both areas," Hortiz said about the offensive line market in free agency and the draft. "The draft has a lot of players on the interior you feel good about, then there's some tackles in college that we feel like can kick inside."
Some tackles they can kick inside? Well, that feels like a loaded quote that reveals a lot about the team's strategy in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Kadyn Proctor is now a legitimate target for the Chargers in the 2026 NFL Draft
The first name that comes to mind with this approach is Alabama's Kadyn Proctor. The six-foot-seven offensive lineman has NFL size and intangible that make him a first-round prospect in this year's draft. His inconsistencies at the college level keep him from being a true top-tier prospect and more of a late-first-round prospect.
It may take some time for Proctor to develop into a legitimate starting NFL tackle. However, if kicked inside, Proctor may succeed as early as his first season. His potential transition to guard in the NFL makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in the first round, and after Hortiz's comments, puts him on the Bolts' radar.
Proctor isn't the only player who suddenly finds himself on the Chargers' radar.
There are other prospects the Chargers can take this approach with later in the draft as well. Caleb Tiernan is now a very intriguing target in the second round.
The six-foot-eight Northwestern prospect has ample starting experience at both tackle spots and was highly productive in college. However, his arms fall under the typical 33-inch threshold for tackles, leading many to believe he will be kicked inside.
If Niernan had tackle intangibles, he would probably be in the conversation as a late-first-round pick. Instead, he is someone who very well could fall to the Chargers in the second round. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 53 prospect; the Chargers have the No. 55 pick. He is right in their range.
Regardless of who it ends up being, the Chargers clearly aren't just looking at guards to fill their need at the guard spot next season. Keep that in mind when putting together your Chargers mock drafts leading up to the draft.