The NFL Combine is here and the Chargers will be one of the teams watching the offensive line group as closely as possible.
With a new center and potentially both guards needing to be replaced before next season, the Bolts will have to do a lot of work on this draft class in hopes of building a better unit to protect Justin Herbert in 2026.
Below are five offensive lineman all Chargers fans should watch closely this week.
OG Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M
One of the more recent new names paired with the Chargers, Bisontis was taken
by the Bolts in a prior two-round mock that had them trading back to the 28th pick with the Texans. If the top guard (Vega Ioane) is not there at 22, I could easily see the Bolts moving back to gain a pick and still grab an immediate starter.
Bisontis is built very well at 6’5 and 315 pounds with heavy hands and great functional strength. Scouts may ding him a bit for having shorter arms, but that may be the only notable shortcoming for him. He’s as solid as they come and he could very well push Ioane for being the best player at his position in this class.
C Sam Hecht, Kansas State
Hecht impressed at this year’s Senior Bowl and that very well could see his draft stock rise all the same. He’s been stellar as the Wildcats’ starting center the past two seasons and hasn’t allowed a single sack in that span.
At 6’4 and 297 pounds, he’s a very mobile pivot with the ability to get out into space and be a difference-maker. He is a very easy mover and always looks under control of his body. Sure, he could stand to add a few more pounds, but his skillset fits the modern pro game. Centers that can move and block in space are not grown on trees and Hecht looks to be the next guy in the mold.
OG Vega Ioane, Penn State
Ioane has probably been the most common named paired with the Chargers in first-round mock drafts thus far into the offseason. He’s basically built in a lab for a Jim Harbaugh-led team at 6’4 and 330 pounds while being physically dominant in both the run game and in pass protection.
Due to positional value, even as the top guard in the draft class, there’s a real chance Ioane can fall all the way to the Chargers at No. 22. If that happens, I believe this pick is sprinted up to the podium.
C Logan Jones, Iowa
Jones is an undersized center prospect (by modern NFL standards) but that didn’t stop him from bringing home the 2025 Rimington Award (nation’s top center) and being part of the 2025 Joe Moore Award winners (nation’s top offensive line unit).
The multi-year starter for the Hawkeyes was Bruce Feldman’s No. 7-ranked player on his annual Freaks List, highlighting the biggest freak athletes in all of college football. Jones left Iowa with the program record for centers in the short shuttle (4.09), vertical jump (36.5 inches), 10-yard split (1.53) and the hang clean (470 pounds).
He may surprise this week in Indy.
OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Similar to Jones above, Proctor was on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List, but he ranked No. 2 only behind Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Proctor is a monolithic offensive lineman standing at 6’7 and 366 pounds. He can reportedly squat over 800 pounds bench press 535 pounds. That’s insane, even by NFL offensive lineman standards. The Chargers don’t need a tackle, but there’s a lot of speculation that Proctor will ultimately transition to guard at the next level where his skillset is better suited.
He’s not super nimble on his feet, but it’s impressive nonetheless given his size. He held his own at left tackle for multiple years in the SEC, so teams will certainly give him a look on the edge, but there is a real shot he moves to guard which would lead him to be much more coveted by the Chargers.
