Charger Report

Chargers Connected to Four Senior Bowl Standouts Who Crushed the Event

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and DL coach Mike Elston were on hand at the senior bowl and several prospects they are connected to performed well.
Thomas Martinez|
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Los Angeles Chargers

The 2026 Senior Bowl wrapped up on Saturday January 31st. The Senior Bowl is the premier all-star event of the draft cycle where top prospects from around the country gather to compete and try to show off their skillsets in front of NFL decision makers.

The Los Angeles Chargers were well represented at the event with head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive line coach Mike Elston spending part of the week down in mobile Alabama. Harbaugh participated in the event as a player in 1987. Harbaugh and Elston coached the Michigan Wolverines through their National Championship in 2023.

The 2026 group of prospects impressed this year, specifically in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The deep defensive line class that participated in the event is likely the reason Mike Elston attended in person. Some of the prospects are very familiar to the Chargers coaching staff due to former college ties at the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.

Senior Bowl prospects the Chargers know well

Nadame Tucker, edge rusher, Western Michigan

Nadame Tucker is a fascinating prospect in this year's loaded edge rusher class. He quietly finished second in the nation in sacks behind only Texas Tech's David Bailey.

Tucker played six years of college football after not playing football until his senior year of high school. He played at Independence Community College in 2020 and Hutchinson Community College in 2021 before transferring to the University of Houston from 2022-2024.

Tucker was recruited by Chargers new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary to play for Western Michigan for his final season of eligibility. O'Leary utilized Tucker as the Western Michigan version of Khalil Mack and he put up excellent statistics in his final season.

Tucker turned heads and burst onto the scene this week at the Senior Bowl proving he was up to the level of competition at the All-Star event.

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Derrick Moore, edge rusher, Michigan

Derrick Moore was a four-star edge rusher recruit at the University of Michigan. Jim Harbaugh's staff offered Moore very early in the process and was the second program to offer him a scholarship.

Moore saw the field for the Wolverines as a true freshman in 2022 and has been a key part of the edge rotation since his sophomore season which culminated with winning the national championship. Moore had his most productive season as a pass rusher in 2025, finishing with 11 sacks and 41 total pressures.

At the Senior Bowl, Moore drew the attention from fans and media. He went viral on day one when he caught Miami's massive offensive tackle Markel Bell off balance and ran through him on a rush.

Moore was also labeled one of the biggest standouts of the week by respected draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah and most media outlets praised his wins in practice all week long.

Rayshaun Benny, defensive tackle, Michigan

Rayshaun Benny was a four-star recruit out of the State of Michigan. Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan staff offered Benny in early 2019. Benny only played in three games in 2021 and entered the defensive line rotation in 2022.

Benny is a well-rounded and disruptive interior defensive lineman. He has a phenomenal missed tackle rate for a defensive tackle with a career rate of 4.6 percent. He is quick to recognize and disengage blockers.

Benny turned heads at the Senior Bowl with good athleticism and presented a consistent disruptive force in team drills. Main draft analyst and writer for The Athletic Dane Brugler labeled Benny as the biggest interior defensive line riser of the week.

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Familiar to the Chargers for the wrong reasons

Missouri edge rusher Zion Young had himself an awesome week down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Dane Brugler gave young the label of biggest riser of the week.

There is no doubt that Young displayed awesome disruptive power and put on a great display of advanced pass-rush moves. He plays the run tough and takes on blockers like they disrespected his family.

Unfortunately, Young is very familiar to Jim Harbaugh and all of the current Chargers coaching staff whom were at Michigan in 2022. Following a victory over their in-state rivals, the Michigan State Spartans, there was an incident in the tunnel leading to the locker rooms where eight Spartan players assaulted two Wolverine players. The incident lead to assault charges, Zion Young was one of the eight players.

The Chargers historically avoid players with character concerns or question marks off the field. Young is a very talented football player but his most recent legal troubles paired with the Michigan incident likely removes him from the Chargers draft board despite him playing a position of need for Los Angeles.

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Thomas Martinez
THOMAS MARTINEZ

Thomas Martinez has covered the Chargers and the NFL draft since 2022. Born and raised as a Chargers fan, experienced the improbable Super Bowl run in the 94’ season as a child, survived Ryan Leaf, the Marlon McCree fumble and Nate Kaeding in the playoffs. He graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in Political Science and The University of Redlands with an MBA.

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