Our Least Favorite Los Angeles Chargers 2026 Draft Pick

The Chargers are putting immense pressure on their second-round pick to be a plug-and-play starter at a position he has never played. Let's discuss the process.

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The Los Angeles Chargers have bolstered their roster and added to the depth across the board through the 2026 NFL draft. General manager Joe Hortiz entered the draft with five selections and through trades, ended up leaving Pittsburgh with eight draft picks.

The Chargers aggressively addressed their needs for the third year in a row in this draft. They entered the draft having lost their third edge rusher and their starting left guard to free agency. Los Angeles also did not definitively address either spot in free agency before the draft, making their draft intentions clear and obvious. They drafted edge rusher Ahkeem Mesidor in the first round and center Jake Slaughter in the second round after trading back.

The Chargers selected four offensive lineman with their eight picks. Any draft class will have early favorites amongst the class. Earlier this week, we dove into the favorite pick of the class and the process of making the selection of wide receiver Brenen Thompson. Let's explore the least favorite draft pick of the 2026 class and the process of his selection.

Least favorite selection: Center Jake Slaughter, second round

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The Chargers drafted Florida center Jake Slaughter in the second round after trading back to pick 63 from pick 55 while also receiving picks 131 and 202 from the New England Patriots. Slaughter being the least favorite selection of this draft is not an indictment on the player, he is far from perfect but the vision of his fit in the offense makes sense. However, the selection of Slaughter and the expectation for him to compete for the starting left guard spot is the least favorite process of this draft.

Jake Slaughter is a scheme-specific offensive lineman. The good news is, he fits perfectly in Mike McDaniel's scheme and offense. He is also very comparable to new right guard Cole Strange as they are almost identical size with similar profiles and athletic traits. Slaughter is a smaller offensive lineman who wins on positioning, angles and minimally getting the job done as opposed to imposing his will.

The bad news remains the fact that he has never played guard before. McDaniel asks his guards to be nimble and climb to second-level defenders, which Slaughter can do, but when it comes to moving a defender against his will, he will need help.

Had Los Angeles signed one of the veteran guards on the market and brought Slaughter in as a high end future star of the line in-waiting, with time to develop, that process would make sense, and in theory could still happen. But, the Chargers watched Justin Herbert take historic damage in 2025 and will be gambling on whether a rookie who has never played guard before with an offseason spent training for the combine can learn and adjust in four months before the first game.

The Chargers have a few other options on the roster in Trevor Penning, Kayode Awosika and interestingly, sixth-round pick Logan Taylor, who has played left guard before at Boston College. If the Chargers are expecting Slaughter to be ready for the start of the season at left guard, that expectation is nearly unfair for a rookie switching positions and facing the reality of what happened to Justin Herbert behind a makeshift offensive line all last season.

Slaughter hopefully hits the ground running and proves the gamble right. The process and pressure he will be facing is the reason why his selection is the least favorite pick of the 2026 draft.