3 Chargers Who May Have Just Lost Their Jobs After Draft Night

The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, with the Los Angeles Chargers leaving with more players than originally expected. Thanks to trading back, the Chargers landed seven rookies compared to the original 5 picks they had coming into the weekend.

It began at No.22 overall, where they selected Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor. Due to a trade back with the New England Patriots in Round 2, the Bolts went all the way back to No.63 to select Florida center Jake Slaughter, who figures to play guard. That wasn't their only offensive line addition, as the Chargers selected three more linemen to compete along the interior this summer.

As with every draft, it usually means players currently on the roster will be fighting for their jobs. It's more evident with early round picks, but there's other selections for the Chargers that could push some veterans out of the picture. Here's a look at three Chargers that might have lost their jobs following this year's draft.

3 Chargers with their job in question following NFL Draft

Bud Dupree

With the Chargers' selection of Mesidor in the first round, it's hard to see Bud Dupree cracking the rotation by the end of the season depending on how things play out. The 32-year-old pass rusher has spent the last two seasons in LA, combining for 8 sacks in 33 games.

The Chargers obviously have a top duo of Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack, the latter re-signed to another one-year deal earlier in the offseason. When they acquired Odafe Oweh near last year's trade deadline, Dupree was phased out, hence his 2 sacks on the year. A rushing trio of Tuipulotu, Mack and Oweh was enough for Dupree to become cozy on the sideline.

Expect that to happen again with Mesidor now in the building. He had a monster 2025 season for the Hurricanes with 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss. Cutting Dupree would also save the Chargers $2.5 million.

Trevor Penning

The Chargers made a questionable decision to select a center in the second round in Slaughter. It's evident they plan to move him to guard, as they signed Tyler Biadasz to a big-money deal last month.

Before this move, the Chargers' starting guard combo was Trevor Penning and Cole Strange. Clearly, not good enough to go into the season with. Strange spent last season in Miami, where he played under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, so he'll likely get the nod to start for now. With the arrival of Slaughter, he figures to take over Penning's spot.

He'll have to earn it, especially since he's never played at guard before. However, Slaughter's clearly pushing Penning out of the way here in theory.

Derius Davis

One of the Chargers' main returners has been Derius Davis over the last few seasons. One could argue that his spot was already in jeopardy once Keaton Mitchell was signed last month, who also has some return experience.

Now his actual spot as a receiver could be in question, as the Chargers selected Brenen Thompson in the fourth round. Thompson put up over 1,000 yards at Mississippi State last season and ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine at 4.26 seconds. They're similar in stature (Davis is 5'8, 165 and Thompson is 5'9, 164), so that'll be an interesting battle to watch during camp.

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