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Why Dane Brugler Believes Chargers Could Add Edge Rusher in Deep Draft Class

The Athletic draft analyst said the Chargers could add to the edge rusher room in what he calls a 'deep' 2026 NFL Draft class

AP Photo/Julio Cortez
AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Welcome to Part 10 of our draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with The Athletic's draft analyst Dane Brugler to break down the edge rushers in this draft class. Brugler can be found on X/Twitter @dpbrugler for his analysis.

Be sure to check out the Chargers 2026 Draft Hub for everything you need to know about the Bolts upcoming selections.

Chargers status at edge rusher

Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Bud Dupree, Kyle Kennard, Garmon Randolph

The Chargers bring back an edge rusher group that had some explosiveness a year ago.

Arguably no one had a bigger season on the defensive side of the ball than Tuli Tuipulotu, who put together the most productive year of his young career.

Tuipulotu led the team with 13.0 sacks during the regular season, good for sixth most in the NFL, and also tallied a whopping 60 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. He also led the team with 23 quarterback hits and 20 tackles for loss.

His production was aided thanks to another impactful season from the future Hall of Famer Khalil Mack, who recently returned to the Chargers ahead of free agency once again.

Mack suffered an elbow injury in Week 2 that sidelined him for four games in 2025. He still finished with 5.5 sacks, a number that pushed him to 113.0 for his career. Mack currently ranks seventh among active players with that total.

The tandem headlines a group that brings back more experience in Bud Dupree, who notched a pair of sacks in his second season with the Bolts.

Fourth-round pick Kyle Kennard saw action in just five games as rookie, but enters his second season with a chance to build on what he learned in his first year. The room is then rounded out by Garmon Randolph, who spent the 2025 season on the practice squad.

Take a look back at the best photos of the Chargers 2025 draft class in their inaugural NFL campaign.

Is it a position of need?

Brugler believes an edge rusher could be in the cards based off who the Bolts currently have on the roster.

"I definitely think it's something they're going to be looking at early in the draft," Brugler said. "Tuli is an ascending player who is going to be in line for an extension here pretty soon, but then after him it's more older guys, short term contracts, more question marks.

There's no question Tuipulotu and Mack will start at the edge of the defensive line heading into the regular season, but picking an edge rusher could be a selection for now and down the road.

With how deep this class is at the position and looking at the outlook of the group, an addition could make sense in the first two days.

"When you draft, obviously you're thinking about 2026, but GMs have the 2027 roster up on their board, they're looking at 2028, what it's going to look like the next few years," Brugler said. "I think adding another pass rusher to the mix makes sense for right now and then someone who can become a starter down the line.

"Thankfully edge, in my opinion, is the deepest position in this class," Brugler added. "There's a lot of options, especially in those early rounds."

Key Questions for 2026

1. Has Tuipulotu turned into the player you thought he would be as a prospect?

"Honestly, even more so. I think he's exceeded what I thought he would be. It's a credit to him, he's somebody who flashed a ton at USC, and thought, 'Can he keep this up at the NFL level?' And gradually I think you've gotten to that point. If you're the Chargers, you're feeling good about where you drafted him, what you invested and the return on investment at this point."

2. Why do you think edge is the deepest position group in this draft?

"We're going to see these guys go off the board pretty quickly, starting at No. 2, but there's not going to be much of a slowdown. Late first round, early second round, there's going to be a lot of these guys coming off the board. They're all different, like ice cream flavors. They're all good, it's just a matter of are you looking for someone who's going to set a firm edge, or that straight line explosive guy, or maybe you're sacrificing a little size and length but he brings the juice off the edge. There's so many different types of edge rushers in this group and it will just depend on what you're looking for, which I think is an exciting part of how teams will attack the position because first round, second round, third round, there's going to be a lot of names that come off the board. I expect we'll see 15, 16 edge rushers off the board in the first two nights of the draft."

3. If we look at Day 2, who's an edge rusher in Round 2 or Round 3 the Chargers could target?

"I think at that point in the draft, a lot of these guys are going to be picked in the top 50. If you're a good edge rusher, you're going to go. Seeing who's left at No. 55 will be interesting. An underrated player in this draft, Keyron Crawford from Auburn. Teams tuned into Auburn's defensive line to watch Keldric Faulk, who's a good player and should be a first round pick. But the other guy on the other side, No. 24, I think teams left buzzing about him. 6-foot-4 ½, 250 pounds, he was someone the motor doesn't quit and when he was able to rush the passer, you saw a guy that was disruptive. I think that's somebody that will carry over to the next level. Crawford makes sense, Dani Dennis Sutton from Penn State, big, physical, long, the testing numbers were good, I wish you saw it more on film. Guys that are 6-foot-5 ½, 255 pounds and can move like him are going to go. I think that late second round would make sense for Dennis-Sutton if he were to end up on the Chargers."

Take a look back at photos of the Bolt Fam showing out during the 2025 season. Want to join the Bolt Fam? Click here for more information!

Expert rankings

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah currently has 10 edge rushers in his latest Top 50 list, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has four in his Top 25.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has 16 edge rushers in his most recent Top 100 list, including Ohio State's Arvell Reese as his top ranked prospect at No. 1 overall.

Pro Football Focus has 16 edge rushers in the top 100 in their Big Board Rankings.

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

School: Auburn | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 276 pounds

2025 stats: 12 games; 29 tackles (23 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, four passes defensed, one fumble recovery

Quick fact: A team captain for Auburn, Faulk finished his collegiate career by making 32 consecutive starts dating back to 2023.

AkheemMesidor

School: Miami | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 259 pounds

2025 stats: 15 games; 63 tackles (38 solo), 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, four forced fumbles

Quick fact: Mesidor was one of the most impactful edge rushers in the country last season as he led the impressive Hurricanes defense in sacks and tackles for loss.

Brugler's take: "Obviously, you want these guys to be 21 years old, but there's certain advantages. Someone that's 25 years old when you draft them, they're ready to go out of the box. This isn't where you're going to wait to see, can he develop, he's ready to go. This is an NFL-ready player and certainly there's value in that. I think general managers care about that second contract, but at the same time you're worried about winning now, next year and the year after that. Someone like Mesidor can help you do that. I think age matters, but you just have to be comfortable with the value."

TJParker

School: Clemson | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 263 pounds

2025 stats: 12 games; 37 tackles (19 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, one pass defensed and three fumble recoveries

Quick fact: Parker finished his time at Clemson ranked 10th in career sacks (21.5) and tied for fourth in career fumbles recovered (six) in his three seasons.

Brugler's take: "I like him. He didn't have the season maybe a lot of people expected him to have based on what he did last year, but I think you feel good about the motor he plays with, he holds up well against the run… He plays through the echo of the whistle regardless of the scoreboard, regardless of record. He uses that leverage power, so he will over and over again go after tackles. Maybe not the most deceptive, but if you're a blocker you know you're into a long day going against him. I think he's in that late first round mix as someone teams will want to add to the defensive end rotation."

MalachiLawrence

School: UCF | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 253 pounds

2025 stats: 12 games; 28 tackles (17 solo), 11.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles

Quick fact: An All-Big 12 selection, the edge rusher finished the season as one of four players in the FBS who recorded five or more sacks over each of the past three seasons.

ZionYoung

School: Missouri | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-6 | Wt: 262 pounds

2025 stats: 13 games; 42 tackles (20 solo), 16.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles

Quick fact: Young was a transfer from Michigan State that was productive in his two seasons, racking up 9.0 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in 26 games.

Brugler's take: "There's not a ton of deception on what he wants to do as a pass rusher, he's going to rush down the middle and try to move you off your spot, test your anchor. He uses his length well, the power in his hands, but you feel good that even if he's never a double-digit sack guy, you feel good about him as a run defender, the way he can set an edge, the toughness and physicality he plays with. That showed up routinely, doesn't matter what tape you watched. He's somebody who's going to make an impact."

CashiusHowell

School: Texas A&M | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 1/2 | Wt: 253 pounds

2025 stats: 13 games; 31 tackles (20 solo), 14.0 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, six passes defensed, one forced fumble

Quick fact: Howell wreaked havoc on the quarterback as he finished ranked second in the SEC in sacks and was one of only two players in double digits.

RMasonThomas

School: Oklahoma | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 241 pounds

2025 stats: 10 games; 26 tackles (18 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery

Quick fact: Thomas was named a Second-Team All-American after helping Oklahoma to a College Football Playoff berth.

Brugler's take: "The pre-draft process maybe hasn't gone great for him, he was limited in terms of what he can do at the Combine, Pro Day and things like that, but for a guy who's smaller that's not going to work for some teams in what they want at the edges, but if you let him pin his ears back and go, he's got that explosiveness where he's going to get after the quarterback and affect the backfield action. Somewhere in the top 50 he's going to come off the board and be somebody that brings another dimension to a front seven."

GabeJacas

School: Illinois | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 260 pounds

2025 stats: 12 games; 43 tackles (23 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, one pass defensed, three forced fumbles

Quick fact: Jacas closed off his final season on a high note by leading the Big Ten with 11.0 sacks, good for sixth in the nation during the regular season.

Brugler's take: "He's a former wrestler, you see that with his use of hands and how he wants to get his hands introduced. For four years he was flashing and making plays and I think he got better and better every single year, which you hope to see. He's somebody who I think is the ideal Day 2 edge rusher to go after because maybe some of the run game stuff needs to be more consistent, but getting after the quarterback, power, quickness, has a good get off, that's something I want to add to my rotation."

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