B+
Los Angeles Chargers
Nobody dealt better than the Chargers this weekend: B+.
by Bigbub ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Chargers fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
Reaching for Stephens left real value on the table behind him. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Johnson falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Chris Johnson in the Round 2 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jacob Rodriguez a notch or two before his time. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Michael Taaffe is a better player than pick No. 78 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They reached a country mile for Keylan Rutledge at Round 3, Pick 22, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached into another round for Beau Stephens, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach for Zavion Thomas in pick 204; a little patience would have been rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, Trey Zuhn III went about where he belonged in the 239th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.