Memphis’ Travis Burke was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. Burke was mocked to go anywhere on day three, but he was selected with the 17th pick of the day.
Burke is the second offensive lineman that the Chargers have drafted after taking center Jake Slaughter from Florida in the second round last night. He’s the 16th offensive tackle selected and the fourth selected in the fourth round.
Los Angeles had one of the worst offensive line units in the league last season, but that was mainly due to injuries. Rashawn Slater, who was projected to be the starting right tackle, missed the entire season with a torn patellar tendon, while left tackle Joe Alt only appeared in six games before undergoing season-ending surgery on a right ankle injury.
No other offensive tackle on the team recorded a pass-blocking grade better than 69.5 or a run-blocking grade better than 59.5, according to Pro Football Focus. Burke will give the Chargers more depth at the tackle position, and he’ll have the ability to learn behind one of the better young offensive tackles in the league.
It’s also a system where Burke can thrive. Chargers’ head coach Jim Harbaugh is known for his physical, run-first mindset, and it seems like the former Tigers could be a nice piece to add to an offensive line with that mindset.
Last season, Burke recorded an 84.2 run-blocking grade from PFF, and he was clearly Memphis’ best offensive lineman. The offensive lineman had the second-best offensive rating on the team, among players who appeared in 10 or more games, and he allowed only three sacks and eight hurries in 404 opportunities, receiving an 81.5 pass-block grade.
The offensive lineman primarily played right tackle in his lone season with Memphis, but he has also shown his versatility and can play both tackle positions. It’s likely he will stay at the guard position, but he does have 20 career snaps at left guard under his belt.
Burke started his career at Garner-Webb, where he spent two seasons, before transferring to Florida International for his redshirt sophomore and redshirt junior seasons. Burke signed with the Tigers out of the 2025 transfer portal and played 11 games under Ryan Silverfield before an injury cut his final collegiate season short.
He’s the highest drafted Tiger since Dylan Parham was selected No. 80 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Tigers have now had a player drafted in back-to-back drafts after Kobee Minor was picked by the New England Patriots with the 257th pick last season.