The Los Angeles Chargers' roster, to this point in the season, has fallen undeniably flat.
Of course, injuries have a part to play in this. But where there was supposed to be depth, there's instead largely been concerns and constant scares brought on by the Chargers' injury woes. Los Angeles failed to add a cornerback this offseason to replace the departing Benjamin St-Juste. It failed to properly replenish the interior of the offensive line, and it failed to add enough juice on offense to truly justify their wholehearted gamble on Mike McDaniel's system.
Much of the blame for that falls upon Joe Hortiz—and his job should be in serious question if the Chargers season continues to go off the rails.
But if there's one thing Hortiz can do, it's draft well and find contributors in the middle rounds consistently. This wasn't the highest-upside draft class for the Chargers—and we're only dealing with a sample size of six weeks here—but as the rest of the roster continues to collapse, it's worth revisiting the eight selections the Chargers made in the 2026 NFL Draft.
For the most part, this rookie class has been solid.
Re-grading the Chargers' rookie class after six weeks
Akheem Mesidor, OLB — 1st round, 22nd overall
It's rare to find an immediate star contributor late in the first round, and that's never what the Chargers were expecting to get with Akheem Mesidor. He turned 25 before the Draft was even held, and he'll be 30 by the time his rookie contract has expired—assuming Los Angeles picks up his fifth-year option.
But the Chargers made that pick because they needed a solid rotational pass rusher to pair with Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack, and Mesidor has delivered that thus far. He's provided 10 pressures and four sacks across six games, and he's posted comparable production to the departed Odafe Oweh at a much lower price point.
When you consider the players that went after Mesidor in the first round, this was about as solid a swing as you could expect from the Chargers at this point in the Draft.
Grade: A
Jake Slaughter, C/G — 2nd round, 63rd overall
Slaughter's inconsistencies to this point in the season haven't entirely been his fault. He practiced as both a center and a left guard for much of the offseason program and training camp, and it's hard to see how he could find immediate success with the turmoil the offensive line has seen through six weeks.
But he (somewhat predictably) failed to separate himself from the pack as a true starting option at left guard for the Chargers, and he hasn't been the replacement for Tyler Biadasz that Los Angeles was likely hoping he could be. He's allowed 10 total pressures and one sack on 244 pass-blocking snaps to this point in his rookie campaign, which puts him roughly on pace to near the 30 pressures that Bradley Bozeman allowed at the position last season. He's also been highly inconsistent in the run game.
There's certainly some promise here, and the Chargers only really passed up on Logan Jones to get the opportunity to draft Slaughter. Although they could've (theoretically) traded up to draft one of the top guards near the start of the second round, Slaughter is still an alright pick based on his draft position.
Grade: B-
Brenen Thompson, WR — 4th round, 105th overall
Thompson hasn't played much during the first six weeks of his NFL career—he's been sidelined since Week 2 with a quadriceps injury and, although he was listed as active in Week 6, he did not see a single offensive snap in that outing.
Theoretically, Thompson should provide an additional speed threat to the Chargers offense, and McDaniel practically begged for Los Angeles to grab him at this point in the Draft. It's reasonable to assume, then, that his usage will see a significant uptick as the season wears on. But as of now, it seems like Thompson is simply a gadget receiver in an offense that needs true options, and that's a failed use of a mid-round selection given the way the rest of this room has shaped up.
Grade: C-
Travis Burke, OT — 4th round, 117th overall
Don't get it wrong—Burke has major upside as a rangy tackle, and the grade for this selection would likely be an 'A' if he hadn't been prematurely thrust into action with the injuries to Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Trey Pipkins III. After all, Burke was one of the Chargers' most exciting preseason performers, and his role should've been as a depth piece for much of this season.
He's also been solid against the run across his two games as a bona fide starter along Los Angeles' offensive line, and that has to count for something here. But he's largely been eaten up in pass protection, allowing 10 total pressures and one sack across 119 pass-blocking reps, and speedier pass rushers have consistently found a way to work to his outside in order to get to Justin Herbert.
He'll almost certainly remain a starter until Slater or Pipkins returns, so this is a grade that could change depending on how Burke performs relative to expectations post-bye.
Grade: B+
Genesis Smith — 4th round, 131st overall
Smith has been about as inconsistent as many expected him to be—especially coming into the Draft with the tackling and physicality concerns he did. But he's established himself as a real contributor in the Chargers' secondary, playing 52% of the team's defensive snaps with the periodic absences of both Elijah Molden and Derwin James Jr. and posting some spectacular plays in the process. He's also missed just one tackle this whole season, and that has to count for something.
But he's also had some concerningly inconsistent moments in coverage, either blowing his assignment or simply failing to display the range that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place. These things are to be expected, though, from even the best mid-round rookie defensive contributor, and it seems as though the Chargers have a long-term ball hawking safety on their hands in Smith.
Grade: B+
Nick Barrett — 5th round, 145th overall
Barrett has perhaps been the quietest performer among this group, but he's been solid in his role as well—posting two pressures and nine total tackles while seeing a defensive snaps share of just 25.6% through his first six games.
He's been highly consistent as a tackler, and Justin Eboigbe's lack of performance in recent games opened up a much larger share of pass-rush opportunities for Barrett in Week 6. He's still behind Teair Tart, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jamaree Caldwell, and Eboigbe for snaps along the interior, but he's more than just a special-teams piece at this point. That's a win for Los Angeles when it comes to a fifth-round defensive lineman.
Grade: B
Logan Taylor — 6th round, 202nd overall
This is where the grading aspect of this list gets complicated—because what can you truly expect from a pair of sixth-round offensive linemen? Is there a world where, barring any major displays of upside in training camp, they should be playing significant snaps for Los Angeles this season? The fault here falls upon how Hortiz chose to approach the offensive line.
But Taylor's stint at left guard for the Chargers in Weeks 5 and 6 was absolutely disastrous. He allowed five pressures and two sacks in those matchups, and his impact in the run game was limited at best. It's hard to blame Taylor for this level of performance, but this was a depth selection for the Chargers. And it's clear that Taylor doesn't provide sufficient depth at the position, at least not yet.
Grade: C
Alex Harkey — 6th round, 206th overall
Take everything I said about Taylor above, and apply it here—except Harkey came in with even more projected issues at the tackle position, and his production across his two games a starter at right tackle have been worse than Taylor's. In Weeks 5 and 6, Harkey allowed six pressures and one sack.
Thankfully, both sixth-round selections should be headed back to the bench when the Chargers exit their bye.
Grade: C-
Add us as a preferred source on Google