Chargers Become ‘Hard Team to Beat’ With One Simple NFL Draft Pick

Sometimes the easy route is the best route and that certainly seems to apply to the Los Angeles Chargers as the NFL combine continues.

Easy, in this case, is the Chargers targeting the NFL draft’s top offensive linemen and calling it a day.

That’s especially easy with Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane, by far the best guard in the entire class.

It’s an idea gaining ground at a national level, too. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote that Ioane is the Chargers’ “dream” target who could morph them into a “hard team to beat.” in 2026.

There's also this, via Davenport:

"Ioane is the top pure guard in the class, driven by very good play strength and power that allow him to routinely halt the bull-rush with a firm anchor while generating displacement as a drive-blocker," B/R's Brandon Thorn wrote.

Ioane would be just one piece of the puzzle, but a major one, no doubt.

Why Olaivavega Ioane in Round 1 for the Chargers?

The Chargers grabbing a plug-and-play starter at guard, provided he falls, is about as no-brainer as it gets. It’s far easier to predict than say, the team going with running back Omarion Hampton last year.

There’s no room for luxury like that now. The interior offensive line in front of Justin Herbert in 2025 was horrendous.

Where to even start? Former first-rounder Zion Johnson shed the bust label but remained one-dimensional. He’s a free agent. He also dabbled at playing center over the summer before the season for some reason.

Olaivavega Ioane is probably the best puller in this class, regardless of position, and he just makes everything look easy. Another plug-and-play guy from the start. pic.twitter.com/drLSTxZwQU
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 17, 2026

Center Bradley Bozeman was horrific and just announced his retirement. Behind him, new addition Andre James never got in the mix.

Finally, at the other guard spot, Mekhi Becton was the team’s big swing in free agency to help fix the problem. Instead, he had spotty attendance and worse play and now stands as the team’s top cut candidate.

Add it all up, and drafting Ioane would probably mean starting him next to a starting-caliber free agent. Add it to the return of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt and the arrival of Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, and the Chargers suddenly look like offseason winners capable of getting over the playoff hump.

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