Mock draft season is always here.
Even though the 2026 NFL Draft is still eight months away, ESPN's Field Yates recently put together a mock draft for how things could look in April.
Yates used ESPN's Football Power Index to determine the draft order as the Bolts landed the No. 26 pick.
And Yates had the Chargers adding to their secondary with the addition of Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers in the first round.
Yates wrote:
One of my favorite players to study in the early part of the 2026 draft process is Rivers, a versatile corner with excellent ball skills. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he has aligned both on the perimeter and in the slot, showcasing sticky coverage skills, good instincts and even some blitzing ability. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 by picking off three passes and allowing just 13 catches all season. Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart both had strong rookie seasons in Los Angeles in 2024, but corner is still a longer-range need for the stout Chargers defense. Rivers could thrive there.
Rivers earned All-American and First Team All-ACC honors in 2025 after tallying 54 total tackles to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
A first-round cornerback in 2026 would give the Chargers another possible long-term option alongside Still and Hart.
Cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste, Ja'Sir Taylor and Deane Leonard are also slated to be free agents in 2026.
View photos of the Chargers 53-man roster as of Oct. 9, 2025.
#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley
#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley
#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston
#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston
#2 | DB | Elijah Molden
#2 | DB | Elijah Molden
#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.
#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.
#5 | QB | Trey Lance
#5 | QB | Trey Lance
#9 | WR | Tre' Harris
#9 | WR | Tre' Harris
#10 | QB | Justin Herbert
#10 | QB | Justin Herbert
#11 | K | Cameron Dicker
#11 | K | Cameron Dicker
#12 | WR | Derius Daivs
#12 | WR | Derius Daivs
#13 | WR | Keenan Allen
#13 | WR | Keenan Allen
#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey
#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey
#16 | P | JK Scott
#16 | P | JK Scott
#20 | CB | Cam Hart
#20 | CB | Cam Hart
#23 | S | Tony Jefferson
#23 | S | Tony Jefferson
#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste
#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste
#26 | CB | Donte Jackson
#26 | CB | Donte Jackson
#27 | S | RJ Mickens
#27 | S | RJ Mickens
#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins
#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins
#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still
#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still
#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal
#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal
#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor
#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor
#40 | S | Kendall Williamson
#40 | S | Kendall Williamson
#41 | LS | Rick Lovato
#41 | LS | Rick Lovato
#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk
#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk
#43 | LB | Troy Dye
#43 | LB | Troy Dye
#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock
#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock
#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu
#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu
#46 | CB | Nikko Reed
#46 | CB | Nikko Reed
#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree
#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree
#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy
#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy
#53 | LB | Del'Shawn Phillips
#53 | OLB | Del'Shawn Phillips
#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard
#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard
#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax
#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax
#67 | OL | Foster Sarell
#67 | OL | Foster Sarell
#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer
#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer
#73 | G | Mekhi Becton
#73 | OL | Mekhi Becton
#74 | T | Austin Deculus
#74 | OL | Austin Deculus
#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman
#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman
#76 | T | Joe Alt
#76 | T | Joe Alt
#77 | G | Zion Johnson
#77 | G | Zion Johnson
#78 | C | Andre James
#78 | C | Andre James
#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III
#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III
#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin
#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin
#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith
#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith
#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden
#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden
#89 | TE | Will Dissly
#89 | TE | Will Dissly
#90 | DL | Tear Tart
#90 | DL | Tear Tart
#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand
#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand
#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe
#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe
#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia
#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia
#96 | DL | Naquan Jones
#96 | DL | Naquan Jones
#98 | OLB | Odafe Oweh
#98 | OLB | Odafe Oweh
#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell
#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell
#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei
#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei
#31 | RB | Nyheim Hines
#31 | RB | Nyheim Hines
#34 | RB | Amar Johnson
#34 | RB | Amar Johnson
#37 | CB | Isas Waxter
#37 | CB | Isas Waxter
#38 | LB | Emany Johnson
#38 | LB | Emany Johnson
#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin
#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin
#56 | LB | Kana'i Mauga
#56 | LB | Kana'i Mauga
#57 | OLB | Clelin Ferrell
#57 | OLB | Clelin Ferrell
#62 | C/G | Sam Mustipher
#62 | C/G | Sam Mustipher
#63 | C | Josh Kaltenberger
#63 | C | Josh Kaltenberger
#66 | T | Bobby Hart
#66 | T | Bobby Hart
#71 | G | Branson Taylor
#71 | G | Branson Taylor
#72 | OT | David Sharpe
#72 | OT | David Sharpe
#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson
#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson
#87 | WR | Luke Grimm
#87 | WR | Luke Grimm
#88 | WR | Jalen Reagor
#88 | WR | Jalen Reagor
#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards
#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards
#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph
#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph
#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton
#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton
#22 | RB | Najee Harris
#22 | RB | Najee Harris
#25 | LB | Junior Colson
#25 | LB | Junior Colson
#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun
#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun
#39 | CB | Eric Rogers
#39 | CB | Eric Rogers
#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack
#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack
#69 | DL | Josh Fuga
#69 | DL | Josh Fuga
#70 | T | Rashawn Slater
#70 | T | Rashawn Slater
#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman
#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman
#33 | DB | Deane Leonard
#33 | DB | Deane Leonard
#47 | LS | Josh Harris
#47 | LS | Josh Harris
#67 | T | Savion Washington
#67 | T | Savion Washington
The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner also put together his first mock draft of the new season.
Using The Athletic's NFL wins projections to determine the draft order, the Bolts landed at No. 16 in his exercise.
He had the Chargers adding to their edge rusher room with Auburn's Keldric Faulk.
Baumgardner wrote:
Faulk's massive frame (6-6, 275) and length allow him to play almost anywhere along a defensive front, in any scheme. He's built like a longer version of Aidan Hutchinson during his final year at Michigan. This is another potential top-10 pick who could get pushed down the board if an early QB run happens.
Bolstering their edge rusher room would give the team more youth alongside Tuli Tuipulotu and Kyle Kennard while also adding depth at that position with Khalil Mack slated to be a free agent in 2026.
The Chargers currently have six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
