Chargers have 5 draft picks, starting at No. 22, with a focus on protecting Justin Herbert

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers have the salary cap space to go big in the NFL draft along with enough early round picks.

That's good news for a team that struggled to protect quarterback Justin Herbert last season.

The Chargers went 11-6, but suffered a wild-card loss for the second straight year, with Herbert getting pressured constantly against the New England Patriots. Losing offensive tackles Joe Alt (six games played) and Rashawn Slater (none) for most of the season was a huge blow.

The Chargers have five draft picks, starting with No. 22 in the first round. Their other selections are 55th (second round), 86th (third round), 123rd (fourth round) and 204th (sixth round). They weren’t awarded any compensatory picks this year.

The team sent its 2026 fifth-round pick to Baltimore last year in a trade for defensive lineman Odafe Oweh and sent its 2026 seventh-round pick to Tennessee in a 2024 trade for safety Elijah Molden.

The interior offensive line could use a boost even with the return of a healthy Alt and Slater. Herbert was the most hit and pressured QB in the league last season and another draft without making big moves to protect him won't bode well for a team looking to make a deep playoff run.

The Chargers have new offensive and defensive coordinators for 2026. Mike McDaniel was hired to replace the fired Greg Roman on offense, while Chris O'Leary replaced Jesse Minter on defense after Minter left to become head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. McDaniel previously coached the Miami Dolphins, and his ability to design explosive plays brings excitement to the offense around Herbert. O'Leary came from Western Michigan and returns for a second stint with the Chargers, where he spent the 2024 season as safeties coach and guided Derwin James to a fourth Pro Bowl selection.

The team locked up nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack with an $18 million, one-year extension. The deal kept the 35-year-old outside linebacker from becoming a free agent and ensured his return for a 13th season. The Chargers let free agent Oweh walk after starting in two of 12 games last season, and the defensive end signed with Washington on a $100 million, four-year deal. The team's overall defense was solid, but they weren't great at pressuring quarterbacks and allowed some big performances on the ground. That could lead to the team using a top-50 draft pick on the D-line for the first time since 2020.

The Chargers have significant depth in their receiving group. Keenan Allen is a 33-year-old free agent who has said he'd like to return. If he doesn't, Ladd McConkey has a bigger chance to return to his rookie form. The Chargers have to decide whether to exercise a fifth-year option for $18 million for the 2027 season for wide receiver Quentin Johnston by May 1, and it's possible he could be traded. Even if Allen and Johnston leave, Tre' Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith are decent options behind McConkey.

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