On Friday, the Chargers began the process of signing their 2026 draft class by inking five of their eight picks.
Offensive tackle Travis Burke (fourth round), safety Genesis Smith (fourth), defensive tackle Nick Barrett (fifth), offensive guard Logan Taylor (sixth), and offensive tackle/guard Alex Harkey (sixth). For now, first-rounder Akheem Mesdior, second-round pick Jake Slaughter, and fourth-round pick Brenen Thompson remain unsigned as rookie minicamp gets underway.
Burke is a mean and nasty blocker who will compete with veteran Trey Pipkins for the swing tackle role on offense.
Smith, a free safety out of Arizona, provides some more youth to the aging position group while helping them round out their skillsets with a back-end, single-high player who frees up the likes of Derwin James to wreak havoc around the line of scrimmage.
Barrett figures to slot in as more of a true nose along the front line. He’ll likely rotate up front with Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, and Dalvin Tomlinson if Chris O’Leary wants to keep that group fresh like Jesse Minter preffered.
Lastly, both Taylor and Harkey provide new depth up front, each of which could play multiple positions along the front five. If injuries begin to pile up yet again, the Chargers will be thankful they took so many offensive linemen this year.
