It’s widely anticipated that Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz will select an offensive player with his first-round pick Thursday night in the NFL draft. It’s long been assumed he’ll address the team’s most pressing need as he continues to rebuild the interior of the offensive line.
But what if he doesn’t opt to take an offensive lineman?
What if he picks a defensive player with the 22nd overall selection?
Which position should Hortiz address instead?
One obvious need is at the outside linebacker position where the Chargers lack depth beyond future Hall of Fame pass rusher Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu, a first-time Pro Bowl selection this past season. Odafe Oweh’s departure last month via free agency left a big void.
Bud Dupree and Kyle Kennard were listed on the season-ending depth chart, which is how things stand today. But there is a sense that the Chargers need more despite reports that Kennard has worked diligently during the offseason in anticipation of battling for a larger role for 2026.
Mack, 35, re-signed with the Chargers on a one-season, $18 million contract last month. Otherwise, the outside linebacker position would have easily been a co-top priority along with the offensive line going into the draft. His mere presence is incalculable on and off the field.
READ: Chargers NFL draft preview: Help needed on the offensive line
Last week, during a predraft meeting with reporters, Hortiz suggested the draft pool is deep with quality edge rushers, but he gave no hint as to his plans for his first-round pick. Or for the selections that follow in the second, third, fourth and sixth rounds later this week.
The Chargers don’t have a fifth-round pick, having dealt that to the Baltimore Ravens to acquire Oweh in October, or a seventh-round selection, having flipped that to the Tennessee Titans to get safety Elijah Molden one season earlier. Hortiz said he’d like to acquire additional picks.
But, as he reminded everyone in the room, “It takes two to tango.”
The status quo won’t cut it as the Chargers’ defense begins to take shape under new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary, who is back with the team after a one-season stint in the same role at the University of Western Michigan. O’Leary coached the Chargers’ safeties in 2024.
Jesse Minter left the Chargers’ defense in good hands after he took the Ravens’ head coaching job. The Chargers were ninth last season and first in ’24 in points allowed during Minter’s two seasons as their defensive coordinator, but staying among the NFL’s elite isn’t a given.
So, what are the pros and cons of picking an outside linebacker, a standout pass rusher, with their first-round pick?
The pros are that it would afford the Chargers the flexibility and the depth to remain one of the league’s stingiest defenses while continuing to pressure opposing quarterbacks into mistakes, something at which Mack (five sacks in ’25), Tuipulotu (13) and Oweh (7.5) excelled.
As for the cons, well, nothing come to mind immediately.
However, the Chargers could add to their defensive line. Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh are big fans of strength in the trenches. Additions to their cornerback or safety positions wouldn’t be out of line and drafting for depth at linebacker wouldn’t be considered a stretch, either.
The bottom line is there really isn’t a wrong answer when it comes to picking for the defense.
There could be an answer that is more correct than the others, though.
“At the end of the day, you just want the (draft) board to fall to us instead of going out and forcing a decision that might not be a good decision,” Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander said. “There’s really no difference between the previous two years in terms of our approach to the draft. It’s to get the best player, the best fit for the Chargers, regardless.”