When it came to addressing their need at offensive guard, the Los Angeles Chargers had clearly already made up their mind entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
It seemed from the start that Olaivavega Ioane, the top guard in the class, was going to be off the board when the Chargers selected at 22nd overall. That proved to be the case, as the Baltimore Ravens nabbed him at 14th overall.
What was surprising, though, was Los Angeles' decision to trade down in the second round— ultimately acquiring additional late-round draft capital and guard/center Jake Slaughter. Rather than going with any of the players widely projected to play guard at the NFL level, the Chargers had a clear vision for a positional switch for Slaughter.
Perhaps their belief in Slaughter was really sky-high, especially within the context of Mike McDaniel's scheme. But in selecting Slaughter, they at least indirectly indicated a lack of confidence in any of the guards that would've been available in that portion of the Draft— including Gennings Dunker, who now has a chance to play a major role for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, only time will tell if Los Angeles' gamble will pay off, but it will be difficult not to compare Slaughter to his counterparts in the meantime.
Chargers' Jake Slaughter selection will be constantly compared to his draft-class counterparts
According to Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox, Dunker is one of the NFL's overlooked rookies to watch as we approach training camp. As the Steelers attempt to sort out their offensive line, Dunker has a real chance to carve out a starting role.
"Pittsburgh is looking to replace Isaac Seumalo, which is why McCormick switched sides for the early offseason. McCormick is likely to earn one of the two starting guard jobs, but Dunker has the tools and intangibles needed to compete with Anderson and Brock Hoffman for the other. Expect that guard competition to be one of the biggest storylines of Steelers camp." Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
Dunker's fit with the Chargers would've been imperfect in the first place. He's moving off of the right tackle spot, where he played most of his college snaps with Iowa, due to a lack of lateral athleticism. But in terms of power and staunchness, Dunker has a chance to be one of the real high-upside offensive line prospects from this draft class.
The crux of the issue is that, in trading down and ultimately selecting Slaughter, the Chargers passed up on a number of more clear-cut guard prospects— including Dunker and players like Emmanuel Pregnon— in favor of a piece that had zero experience at guard at the college level. If Slaughter is ultimately able to win the job over Trevor Penning and Kayode Awosika and hold down his role at guard long-term, the gamble will have been a success.
But Dunker has clearly found early success in the Steelers' system. Pregnon also projects to play a major role for the Jacksonville Jaguars, even if it's not immediately.
These players don't have the type of fit in McDaniel's scheme that Slaughter possesses. But there's still a long road to Slaughter being ready to play guard at a viable level, even in a scheme that works around the deficits of its interior linemen.
If the Chargers' gamble with Slaughter falls flat, it will be difficult not to think about what could've been with one of his draft-class counterparts.
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