2026 Los Angeles Chargers Mock Draft: 7-Round Projection
Draft Capital: 6 picks | Overall Grade: B Last Updated: October 19, 2026Overview
Los Angeles Chargers enter the 2026 NFL Draft with 6 selections. Biggest needs: Quarterback, IDL, Linebacker.
Complete Draft Class:- Round 1 (#4): Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State — Grade A+
- Round 2 (#35): Trinidad Chambliss, Quarterback, Ole Miss — Grade B
- Round 3 (#66): Boubacar Traore, Edge Rusher, Notre Dame — Grade C+
- Round 3 (#97): Kemari Copeland, Defensive Line, NA — Grade C
- Round 4 (#133): Evan Johnson, Cornerback, BYU — Grade C-
- Round 6 (#213): Antwan Peek Jr, Safety, Cincinnati — Grade C-
Complete Pick-by-Pick Analysis
Pick #4 - Los Angeles Chargers: Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Rank: #1 overall | Grade: A+ Why This Pick:Addresses key depth concern. While Wide Receiver wasn't the top priority, Jeremiah Smith's talent at #1 overall was too good to pass up. Sometimes value trumps need.
The Fit:Jeremiah Smith brings immediate impact to Los Angeles Chargers. Jeremiah Smith was the top-rated recruit in the 2024 class and has lived up to that billing at Ohio State, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman on a national championship team. He followed with 87 catches for 1,243 yards... His best trait—size and catch radius give the quarterback room to miss—fits perfectly with what this team needs. Projects as a Julio Jones size and vertical threat-type player at the NFL level.
- Strengths: Size and catch radius give the quarterback room to miss
- Weaknesses: Not especially elusive after the catch, more of a north-south runner
- NFL Comp: Julio Jones size and vertical threat
Pick #35 - Los Angeles Chargers: Trinidad Chambliss, Quarterback, Ole Miss
Rank: #34 overall | Grade: B Why This Pick:Critical need filled. Los Angeles Chargers desperately needed Quarterback help (need #1), and Trinidad Chambliss was the best available at this spot. This pick addresses an immediate roster weakness.
The Fit:Trinidad Chambliss brings immediate impact to Los Angeles Chargers. Trinidad Chambliss is one of the most unusual quarterback prospects in the 2027 class, a zero-star recruit from Grand Rapids, Michigan who won the Division II national title and the Harlon Hill Trophy at Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss.... His best trait—creates outside structure with real mobility, escapability and second-chance plays—fits perfectly with what this team needs. Projects as a Russell Wilson (improvisation, clutch play, arm and legs)-type player at the NFL level.
- Strengths: Creates outside structure with real mobility, escapability and second-chance plays
- Weaknesses: Under 6-0 with a light frame, so size and possible durability concerns follow him to the NFL
- NFL Comp: Russell Wilson (improvisation, clutch play, arm and legs)
Pick #66 - Los Angeles Chargers: Boubacar Traore, Edge Rusher, Notre Dame
Rank: #76 overall | Grade: C+ Why This Pick:Best player available. Los Angeles Chargers needed Quarterback help, but Boubacar Traore (ranked #76) represents elite value here. You can't pass on top-tier talent when it falls to you.
The Fit:Boubacar Traore brings immediate impact to Los Angeles Chargers. Boubacar Traore is a long, rangy edge rusher from Boston who has moved from an intriguing but unproven prospect to a first-round name at Notre Dame. A consensus four-star recruit out of Catholic Memorial, he tore his ACL early in the 2024 season and... His best trait—excellent use of length to keep offensive tackles out of his frame—fits perfectly with what this team needs. Projects as a nan-type player at the NFL level.
- Strengths: Excellent use of length to keep offensive tackles out of his frame
- Weaknesses: Lean frame needs added mass to hold up in the NFL
Pick #97 - Los Angeles Chargers: Kemari Copeland, Defensive Line, NA
Rank: #116 overall | Grade: C Why This Pick:Best player available. Los Angeles Chargers needed Quarterback help, but Kemari Copeland (ranked #116) represents elite value here. You can't pass on top-tier talent when it falls to you.
The Fit:Kemari Copeland brings immediate impact to Los Angeles Chargers. Kemari Copeland is a compact interior defensive lineman who wins with power. He took one of the longest roads in the class to reach the ACC. The Virginia Beach native, who played high school ball at Floyd E. Kellam, started at Army and played seven g... His best trait—draft countdown documents a 675-pound squat and a 400-pound bench press, and that power shows up at the point of attack—fits perfectly with what this team needs. Projects as a nan-type player at the NFL level.
- Strengths: Draft Countdown documents a 675-pound squat and a 400-pound bench press, and that power shows up at the point of attack
- Weaknesses: Only one full season of Power Four production, so scouts want to see it sustained over a whole year
Pick #133: Evan Johnson (Cornerback, BYU) - Grade C-. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential. Pick #213: Antwan Peek Jr (Safety, Cincinnati) - Grade C-. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential.