A Jim Harbaugh team wants to be characterized by their size, strength, and physical nature. That was on display in regards to the team’s defense in 2025 but the offense fell woefully short after losing their best two offensive lineman and the ones who stayed healthy (comparatively) underperforming didn’t help, either.
In a new two-round mock draft by ESPN’s Matt Miller, he has the Chargers doubling up on trench players — both of whom own tremendous size — in order to help reinforce that Harbaugh style
of football.
With the 22nd-overall pick, Miller has the Chargers selecting Senior Bowl standout Caleb Banks, a monolithic defensive tackle who stands at 6’6 and 339 pounds.
“The run on edge rushers before this pick leaves the Chargers with some interesting decisions. Do they add to an offensive line that was marred by injury in 2025 or try to fix a D-line that still needs a true anchor to help defend the run? With the talent that’s left on the board, Banks would be very enticing as the nose tackle Los Angeles is missing. The 6-foot-6 339-pounder is an aggressive bull rusher with rare first-step quickness for his size. Think Vita Vea, but with better length. Banks missed all but two games last season due to a foot injury, but his Senior Bowl performance was well-received by scouts, who saw the explosive play in the trenches that excited them entering the 2025 season.”
Banks would be a heck of a third player to add to the nucleus already consisting of 2024 third-rounder Jamaree Caldwell and the recently-extened Teair Tart. Both Tart and Caldwell are more run-stuffers than pass rushers, so Banks would fit in nicely as a complementary skillset to round out the room.
As for the team’s second-round pick, Miller has the Bolts using No. 55 on Oregon offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon, one of the top players along the offensive line that makes it this far down thanks to a lack of position value.
“Injuries decimated the Chargers’ offensive line in 2025, highlighting the lack of overall depth and long-term answers on the interior,” says Miller. “Pregnon would be a plug-and-play starter at either guard spot.”
Pregnon has had a lengthy college career that took him from Wyoming, to USC, and finally to Oregon for his sixth and final year of eligibility. He’s been an impact player everywhere he’s been, which is only supported by the fact he kept transferring up to the better and better program.
To cap his career off, Pregnon earned First-Team All-Big Ten and First-Team All-American honors after helping lead the Ducks to yet another CFP appearance.
This might be one of the best mocks I’ve seen for the Chargers thus far. Banks looks like he has the potential to be a massive steal for a team willing to take the chance with his recent injury history, while Pregnon looks the part for a plug-and-play starter up front.
