Los Angeles Chargers 2026 NFL Draft takeaways: Did they just fill every major need?

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The Chargers entered this draft with five picks. They ended up adding eight players, six of whom were drafted on Day 3. The roster needed this more robust investment. The Chargers are in great shape heading into May. “It’s fun to get picks,” Hortiz said Saturday afternoon. “And it’s fun to use them.” Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson ran the fastest 40 of any player at the combine at 4.26, and he was Dane Brugler’s No. 82 overall player. The Chargers got him in the fourth round, with one of the picks they acquired in the trade down with the Cleveland Browns. Speed is typically quite coveted in the draft, and Thompson is more than just a straight burner. He has some real upside as a route runner, particularly when setting up cornerbacks with double moves on the outside. He can create after the catch. Size was likely a factor in the fall here. At his pro day, Thompson measured at just over 5 feet 9 inches and weighed in at 164 pounds. Mike McDaniel is the exact schemer and play caller who can maximize this skill set, though. Thompson called pairing up with McDaniel a “perfect fit.” I agree. Hortiz was asked for his thoughts on Thompson. He started with one word: “Fast.” “Just a dynamic, explosive playmaker that Mike loved,” Hortiz said. Hortiz admitted that players of Thompson’s size are “outliers.” He also brought up Tyreek Hill, who played for McDaniel with the Miami Dolphins. “Tyreek is thicker than him coming out,” Hortiz said. “But that similar size-height-speed combination.” An electric athlete with score-from-anywhere speed; may be a No. 3 for the right team. Florida’s Jake Slaughter was exclusively a center in college. Some teams had him as a center-only prospect. That is where the surprise comes with this pick. The Chargers needed competition at left guard, and there were other available options on Day 2 with college guard experience, like Jalen Farmer and Emmanuel Pregnon. The Chargers, though, are confident Slaughter can kick inside. He was a McDaniel target, and the Chargers are trusting their new offensive coordinator’s evaluation — still, there is some projection required. We will see if Slaughter can make the transition and win the starting job over Trevor Penning in training camp. Slaughter definitely has the range and lateral movement to fit in the scheme. I also like his awareness and reactions in pass protection and as a run blocker. The bonus is that he fills the backup center hole behind free-agent acquisition Tyler Biadasz. The Chargers added some more potential left guard competition in the sixth round, taking Boston College’s Logan Taylor and Oregon’s Alex Harkey in back-to-back picks. Did the Chargers make a mistake by not adding a cornerback? They had options early on Day 3 with Duke’s Chandler Rivers and Arizona State’s Keith Abney II still on the board. Those were two players who would have fit defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary’s scheme. Jesse Minter and the Baltimore Ravens ended up taking Rivers in the fifth round. O’Leary coached under Minter in 2024 and will be running the same scheme. The Chargers have a solid group of corners. Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart are all returning. The Chargers are high on two undrafted free agents from 2025, Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers. It is not a disaster that they passed on a cornerback. But I thought they could have added one more competitive piece to round out this room. Hortiz said they were considering a cornerback in the fourth and fifth rounds, but the players they took — Thompson, offensive tackle Travis Burke, safety Genesis Smith and defensive lineman Nick Barrett — were higher on their board. The Chargers took Barrett at No. 145. Seven cornerbacks were taken before the Chargers picked again at No. 202, including Abney and Rivers. “They kind of evaporated,” Hortiz said of that cornerback run. This roster feels pretty complete to me, and that is a great spot for the Chargers. Perhaps they could add another corner. But the Chargers could also be projecting some development from their young guys. There are some veteran options still available, like Rasul Douglas, Tre’Davious White and Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore is interesting, but he is also coming off a torn ACL. If the Chargers do make a post-draft move, I think it would be at this position.   “The roster is not set until we set it at 53,” Hortiz said. “Free agency extends all the way through the season. We definitely are always open. Whenever we can make the team better, we’ll do it. I wouldn’t say we’re done there, but I wouldn’t say we’re shopping aggressively either.” The Chargers really did an excellent job addressing needs in this draft. They added a third edge rusher in Akheem Mesidor. They added considerable competition at guard, starting with Slaughter. They brought in speed and run-after-the-catch ability with Thompson. They filled the fifth spot on their interior defensive line depth chart with Barrett. Barrett’s rugged play style is a great fit with defensive line coach Mike Elston. They bolstered the tackle depth with Burke. Smith has the deep-field skill set to push for snaps in sub-packages as a rookie, competing with Tony Jefferson and RJ Mickens. This was a superb draft for Hortiz. In particular, they dramatically revamped the offensive line room. As coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned Saturday, the Chargers only had three offensive linemen under contract for 2026 when last season ended. They are now up to 14, with some exciting young talent in the mix. “It fires me up,” Harbaugh said. The Chargers are up to 75 rostered players. They can fill out the rest of the roster with undrafted free agents. Spot the pattern. 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