Chargers traded back, adding draft capital. They secured an offensive lineman who perfectly fits their zone-blocking scheme, aiming to revolutionize their offense.
The Los Angeles Chargers added an edge rusher in Akheem Mesidor in the 1st Round of the 2026 NFL Draft yesterday, but they still have plenty of work left to do to finish this draft.
One thing the Chargers were hoping to do was to trade back and add a couple of picks in this draft, which they accomplished during the 2nd Round and confirmed in an incredible meme:
That's pretty good value, picking up a 4th Round and 6th Round pick to move back just eight spots. And it made sense why they moved down when the Chargers made their selection at #63:
The confusing part of this is which position the Chargers envision Jake Slaughter playing. He was a three-year starter at center for the Florida Gators, but the Chargers' biggest need is at guard. They also announced him as a guard when making the selection.
I'm going to give the team credit for this one, although many are still left scratching their head. Why would the team take a center with a 4th Round projection in the 2nd Round when they desperately need a guard? Because Slaughter is, in theory, a perfect fit for what Mike McDaniel is looking for from a guard.
Slaughter did not stand out in college football or at the combine because he's not an elite athlete. He's not huge, he's not overly strong, and he's not fast. What he is, though, is a very smart player who excels in zone-blocking schemes where it is more important to be in the right spot and hold it than it is to knock defenders over.
There is plenty of reason to believe that 4th Round grade on him if any other team were considering him at center or guard. In theory, that could've allowed the Chargers to get great value by picking him a little bit later than 63rd overall, but I can understand if they decided that this guy was a good enough fit that he could take over a starting guard spot right away.
Now, there's risk here. If Slaughter fails to be an adequate starter in his rookie season, or if he's stuck in a different style of offense in a year or two, there's risk of the Chargers front office looking back at this pick with serious regret. But now the new defensive coordinator has a pass rusher to build around and the new offensive coordinator has an offensive line that is built to his specifications.
I can't wait to see where they go next.