NFL teams can be predictable. Once a front office makes it clear what its priorities are, it can be pretty straightforward to predict the direction a team will go with its roster building in the offseason. The LA Chargers are no different.
General manager Joe Hortiz has made it abundantly clear in the past that the Chargers won't operate at the top of the free-agent market and will use cap space on smaller signings. Despite different expectations from the fanbase, that is exactly what the Chargers have done in NFL free agency.
The Chargers' actions and priorities also give us a hint about what the team may look to do in the 2026 NFL Draft. With only five selections in the draft, knowing what Hortiz prioritizes, it feels pretty safe to guess that the Chargers will do something the team hasn't done in over two decades.
It feels inevitable that the Chargers will trade down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft
All signs are pointing to the Chargers trading down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft for the first time since the 2003 NFL Draft. Of course, the Chargers need two to tango and can only do so if there is an interested party that wants the No. 22 pick. But if that requirement is met, it seems pretty clear that the Chargers will make this move.
Hortiz prioritizes building out the roster via the NFL Draft and that's harder to do with only five selections across the three days. With no compensatory picks coming the Chargers way, trading back is the easiest way for the Bolts to bolster the roster with cheap, obtainable talent.
Los Angeles doesn't have a concrete first-round need in this draft. The most likely positions seem to be edge rusher and guard, but even that isn't set in stone. Depending on who is available, the Bolts could even go defensive tackle or wide receiver.
More importantly, there really isn't a home-run prospect at the No. 22 pick that would convince the Chargers to stay put. The only player who creeps into that territory is Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. But as the best guard in the draft, it seems more likely than not that Ioane will be taken before the No. 22 pick, regardless of what draft simulators may show in March.
If Ioane is on the board when the Chargers are on the clock, then perhaps the Bolts reconsider. That is probably the only situation in which the Chargers wouldn't prioritize a trade down.
Los Angeles can move down a handful of spots and still land an impactful edge rusher or guard. More importantly, both positions are fairly deep with second-round prospects. So even if the Chargers do miss out on a certain player in round one, there is more than enough talent to make up the difference.
How much draft capital the Chargers can obtain depends on the desperation of the other team to do business. Last year, the Los Angeles Rams received a future first-round pick for trading out of the first round entirely with the Atlanta Falcons. That probably isn't the direction the Chargers will go, but they can still pick up quality draft assets by moving down a handful of positions.