Somehow, we are just 10 days away from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. In less than two weeks, over 200 men will achieve their lifelong dream and hear their name called in Pittsburgh.

Draft week is one of the best weeks on the NFL calendar, so to celebrate, Daniel Rios and I have been doing one 7-round mock draft a day until we cover all 32 NFL teams. Today, I’m focusing on the Los Angeles Chargers, so let’s dive into the perfect mock for Jim Harbaugh’s team.

Round 1, Pick 22: DE T.J. Parker

There were two key holes on the Chargers’ roster I needed to fill, and I think I did a great job with both of them. Guard is obviously their biggest need, but that’s not what I addressed in the first round. With Olaivavega Ioane gone, there was no other guard worthy of the 22nd pick, so I pivoted to edge rusher and took T.J. Parker.

The former Clemson Tiger didn’t have a strong 2025 season, racking up just five sacks, but he was really good in 2025 with 43 pressures, 11 sacks, and six forced fumbles. The entire Clemson defense wasn’t great this year, so that certainly didn’t help Parker out, but if you watch his 2024 tape, you see what he can become.

On top of having some really good tape in 2024, Parker tested really well at the combine, running a 4.68-second 40-yard dash with a 34-inch vertical at 6-foot-4, 263 pounds. The Chargers need an edge rusher, and with Rueben Bain, David Bailey, and Akheem Mesidor gone, Parker was the best one available.

Round 2, Pick 55: OG Keylan Rutledge

I mentioned earlier that the Chargers need guard help. Nobody can enter the season with Trevor Penning and Cole Strange as their starting guards and feel good about it. Especially not someone like Mike McDaniel, whose offense relies on a strong offensive line. I believe they’re going to invest in guard early in this draft, which is why I’m picking Keylan Rutledge here.

Is this a bit of a reach? Maybe. Rutledge is a projected late second to early third round pick, and I have him going at pick 55. But when you believe in a player, you don’t pass on him, and I believe in Rutledge.

During his time at Georgia Tech, Rutledge played over 1,600 snaps for the Yellow Jackets. During that time, he gave up nine pressures and zero sacks in pass protection while earning a 77.1 run-blocking grade in 2025. He is exactly what the Chargers need at guard.

We saw how bad LA’s offensive line was when their two-star tackles went down. No one can overcome two Pro Bowl tackles going out for the year, but beefing up their interior will certainly help Justin Herbert should something happen to those two again.

Round 3, Pick 86: WR Bryce Lance

The Chargers’ receiver room is Ladd McConkey and a bunch of WR3s. Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris can make plays, but they really need a WR2 to work alongside McConkey, and Bryce Lance could be that guy.

If you just look at the numbers, there’s no reason why Lance can’t be a great NFL receiver. He’s 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, runs a 4.34-second 40-yard dash with a 41.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump and caught 51 passes for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns last year while averaging over 21 yards per catch. Not bad.

However, Lance played at North Dakota State, an FCS school (at least while he was there). He didn’t play DI talent like all of these other guys, so now having to take a step up to the NFL level is going to be tough, but it can be done.

He might take some time to adjust, but Lance could be a really good playmaker alongside McConkey for Justin Herbert.

Round 4, Pick 123: OG Kage Casey

I wasn’t done addressing the offensive line after Rutledge. They still have another guard position they need to improve before the season starts, which is why I’m taking Kage Casey in round four.

Casey is a 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle out of Boise State, but he’s expected to make the move to guard at the NFL level. During his time with Boise State, Casey played 2,404 snaps and gave up a total of 35 pressures and six sacks while earning a 75+ run-blocking grade in each of his final three seasons. He obviously didn’t play the best talent in the world at Boise State, but he helped pave the way for Ashton Jeanty’s historic season while being a really strong pass blocker.

Adding Rutledge and Casey to an offensive line that already includes Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Tyler Biadasz would be Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel’s dream.

Round 6, Pick 204: CB Andre Fuller

The Chargers only have one pick in the final three rounds of the NFL Draft, but they make good use of it here by selecting Andre Fuller, a cornerback from Toledo.

Fuller is a very experienced player, totaling over 1,800 snaps in his five seasons, and he’s coming off easily his best year, where he allowed a 41.7 percent completion rate on 48 targets while picking off one pass and breaking up eight more. He was penalized five times, but before that, he had four penalties in four seasons.

Los Angeles needs to beef up their secondary. In round six, you’re not going to find many starters, but Fuller could be a high-quality depth piece for Chris O’Leary’s defense.