Chargers 2026 NFL Draft Strategy: Tackle at 22 or Guard Help?

The Los Angeles Chargers sit at pick 22 with a roster that screams one thing to sharp bettors watching the draft market: left guard is the hole that needs filling. Yet the pre-draft noise keeps circling back to tackle prospects. If you’re betting on Chargers draft props or building derivative positions around their offensive line, understanding the gap between public narrative and actual roster need is where the edge lives.

With the 2026 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, GM Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh have five picks to deploy. The market seems convinced they could go tackle early. The reality is more nuanced—and more interesting for anyone trying to handicap Day 1 outcomes.

The Real Need: Left Guard, Not Tackle

Let’s cut through the noise. The Chargers’ offensive line has two locked-in tackles: Rashawn Slater on the left side (rehabbing a torn patellar tendon) and Joe Alt on the right (coming back from an ankle injury). The front office has expressed full confidence in both returning to form.

The actual gap in the depth chart? Left guard. Trevor Penning is slotted as the starter after the Chargers acquired him from New Orleans at last year’s deadline. They added Kayode Awosika in free agency for depth. But Penning is a projection, not a certainty. He showed flashes with the Saints, and his athleticism fits Mike McDaniel’s outside-zone scheme, but this isn’t a position where the Chargers can afford to roll with “good enough.”

This is the context that should frame any tackle-at-22 discussion. The only scenario where a tackle makes sense at pick 22 is if that tackle projects to kick inside to guard. That’s not a tackle pick—it’s a guard pick wearing tackle film.

Tackle Prospects Who Could Move Inside

Several tackles in this class have the movement skills to theoretically play guard in McDaniel’s scheme:

Spencer Fano (Utah) — Dane Brugler’s No. 8 overall player. Started 36 games at tackle, zero at guard. Pure projection.
Francis Mauigoa (Miami) — 42 career starts, all at tackle.
Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) — 40 starts at tackle.
Caleb Lomu (Utah) — 24 starts, all at left tackle.
Blake Miller (Clemson) — 54 starts, 52 at right tackle.

Of this group, Fano, Lomu, and Miller profile as the best fits for an inside transition based on lateral movement ability. But here’s the catch: zero college snaps at guard for any of them. You’re betting on projection, not tape.

The upside of drafting one of these players? Built-in tackle insurance. Slater’s patellar tendon injury is serious. Alt’s ankle ended his 2025 season. Having a first-round talent who can play multiple spots has value. But make no mistake—the primary motivation is finding someone to push Penning, not to replace a healthy Slater or Alt.

McDaniel’s Scheme Changes Everything

The shift from Greg Roman’s gap-blocking system to McDaniel’s outside-zone scheme has fundamentally altered the Chargers’ personnel targets. This isn’t subtle. Hortiz said it explicitly at the combine in February: “Just more range. Guys that can get to the cut-off blocks and reach and get out in space.”

That’s why they signed Cole Strange as the starting right guard. That’s why they moved on from tight ends Will Dissly and Tucker Fisk—better fits for Roman’s downhill approach. And that’s the lens through which every offensive line prospect is being evaluated.

If you’re betting draft position for interior linemen, the guards who fit this profile are the ones to watch:

Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) — Brugler’s top-ranked guard
Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M)
Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon)
Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech)
Gennings Dunker (Iowa)

The Chargers aren’t waiting until Day 3 to address the interior. Expect them to take a guard—or a tackle-to-guard projection—in the first three rounds. Whether that’s at 22 or with their Round 2 or Round 3 pick depends on how the board falls.

Quentin Johnston: Why a Trade Makes No Sense

Every offseason brings speculation about moving a former first-round pick who hasn’t fully delivered. Quentin Johnston is this year’s candidate. But the math doesn’t support a trade.

Johnston is due $2.68 million in base salary for 2026. His cap hit is $4.51 million. For that price, you’re getting a cheap, ascending receiver with untapped YAC potential who hasn’t yet played in a scheme designed to maximize his skill set. McDaniel’s offense is built for players like Johnston.

Trading him for a Day 3 pick is lighting value on fire. The Chargers are a value-hunting organization under Hortiz. Johnston at $2.68 million is a value play.

The fifth-year option is a different conversation. At a projected $18 million for 2027, declining makes sense. But that doesn’t change the 2026 calculus. Let Johnston play in McDaniel’s system. If he pops, he either gets extended or walks in free agency and nets a compensatory fourth-rounder in 2028. If he doesn’t, you’re out a modest salary on a player who was already on the roster.

The only trade that makes sense is an offer the Chargers can’t refuse—think a second-round pick or better. A fifth-rounder? That’s bad process.

Post-Draft Free Agency Targets

One position to watch after the draft: edge rusher. The Chargers re-signed Khalil Mack and have Tuli Tuipulotu under contract, but Odafe Oweh walked in free agency. That’s a gap that hasn’t been addressed.

If the Chargers don’t come away from the draft with a viable third edge option, expect them to hunt the post-draft free agent market. This is often where sharp bettors find derivative value—teams that address a need quietly after the draft hype fades.

The Sharp Angle

If you’re looking at Chargers draft props, here’s the takeaway: the tackle-at-22 narrative is overblown. The need is guard, and any tackle they take is a guard projection with tackle upside. Interior offensive linemen—especially those with lateral range—are the priority.

Johnston isn’t going anywhere for anything less than significant draft capital. And edge rusher is a sneaky need that could surface post-draft.

The Chargers are playing a value game. Hortiz and Harbaugh aren’t swinging at positions of strength or overpaying for projections. They’re hunting efficiency. For sharp bettors tracking draft markets, that means fading the noise and following the roster math.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Chargers draft a tackle at pick 22?

Only if that tackle projects to play guard in Mike McDaniel’s outside-zone scheme. The Chargers’ primary need is left guard competition, not tackle depth. Any tackle selected would likely be viewed as a guard-first, tackle-insurance second.

Is Quentin Johnston a trade candidate?

Not for anything less than a second-round pick. Johnston’s $2.68 million salary makes him a value asset, and the Chargers want to see what he can do in McDaniel’s YAC-heavy offense before making any decisions.

What positions will the Chargers target in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Interior offensive line (specifically left guard) is the top priority in the first three rounds. Edge rusher depth is a secondary need that could be addressed later in the draft or through post-draft free agency.