Chargers NFL Draft Review: Immediate Starters, Sleepers, and Long-Term Bets

A closer look at the starters, sleepers and overlooked gems from the NFL draft for the Chargers.

Akheem Mesidor | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers ripped off multiple trades across three days of NFL draft action while making eight selections. 

Not bad for a team that entered the fray with just five picks and a host of needs to address. 

Exiting the draft, the theme was easy enough to see: Protect Justin Herbert. 

As we broke down in-depth, the Chargers went heavy on getting Mike McDaniel what he wants for his offense. That meant, among other things, drafting offensive linemen with four of their eight picks. 

It also means, in the aftermath, there are some obvious starters, sleepers and long-term things to keep in mind for the Chargers. 

NFL Draft Immediate Starters for Chargers

Akheem Mesidor | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When it comes to players who will see healthy snap counts right away, two names come to mind: 

• Round 1 (22): Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
• Round 2 (63): Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

The Mesidor pick by the Chargers in the first round took some heat for (not being an offensive lineman) his being an older rookie. He’ll be looking at a fifth-year option at the age of 30. 

But that also means he should be pro-ready. 

The Chargers badly needed a third rotating edge rusher to join the rotation with Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. That’s Mesidor. Our deep dive breakdown of the Mesidor pick paints a picture of a guy who can play right away and be a building block for the future. 

Jake Slaughter in the second round was even more controversial. The Chargers have a starting center with Tyler Biadasz. Slaughter is an elite prospect at that spot, but never took a snap at guard. 

Chargers fans can only take the team’s word for it that Slaugher should be able to pretty easily make the move to guard. He’s certainly athletic enough. And on paper, he should be able to knock Trevor Penning out of a starting spot, leaving Cole Strange to start at the other. 

NFL Draft Sleepers for Chargers

Brenen Thompson | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s all about Brenen Thompson. 

Sometimes it’s tough to allege a fourth-round pick can be a sleeper. But when outsiders look at the Chargers' roster at wideout, they see this: 

• Ladd McConkey
• Quentin Johnston
• Tre Harris
• KeAndre Lambert-Smith 
• Derius Davis
• Luke Grimm

That’s not even all the names. But it is a No. 1 option, a former first-round pick, two sophomores with big upside and even a promising former undrafted free agent with Grimm. 

Not a lot of chances to go around. 

But Thompson is McDaniel's first and only notable addition at wideout. He’s 5’9”, but has 4.26 speed. He can be a safety outlet or stretch the field and averaged 39.8 yards per touchdown grab for his career. 

Rest assured McDaniel is going to have some packages that get him work beyond special teams returns. His stunning physical skill set will do the rest. 

NFL Draft Long-Term Bets for Chargers

Travis Burke | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Three long-term names to know for the Chargers: 

• Round 4 (117): Travis Burke, OL, Memphis
• UDFA: Isaiah World, offensive tackle, Oregon
• UDFA: Lander Barton, linebacker, Utah

Travis Burke flew under the radar in the fourth round, but our instant analysis had plenty of good things to say about a shockingly big, 6'9”, 325-pound lineman. He’s going to need to develop, but should receive plenty of time to do so. 

Over time, Burke could be the long-term replacement for Trey Pipkins as the backup swing tackle. That, and he also gives the Chargers flexibility if they want to do something unexpected, like change Rashawn Slater’s position. 

Speaking of offensive tackles, a lot of mocks had the Chargers actually drafting Isaiah World. Instead, the Chargers stole World in undrafted free agency. 

It’s not a bad end result for both parties. The Chargers have a stashed, draftable tackle on his way back from a torn ACL. World gets to work with the same program that found and developed Slater and Joe Alt. It’s too obvious to ignore what this could mean in a year or two. 

Then there’s Lander Barton, a prospect the Chargers threw big money at in undrafted free agency to get. 

A traditional linebacker, Barton will compete with the likes of other successful undrafted free agency stories like Marlowe Wax over the long-term. They need traditional ‘backer help with Denzel Perryman aging and Junior Colson not panning out. Barton could easily stick, then at least become a long-term guy as a backup and on special teams. 

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