Day 1 of Chargers rookie minicamp is in the books.
The Bolts held a roughly hour-long practice on Friday at The Bolt, with practices also coming Saturday and Sunday. Friday's session is the only one open to reporters.
Here are three observations from the first day of Chargers rookie minicamp:
1. The journey begins
Nearly 50 players hit the practice field on Friday at The Bolt.
Some players such as 2026 first-round pick Akheem Mesidor were easy to spot as the edge rusher made up one of eight recent draft picks who were out there.
Almost all of the Chargers 2026 undrafted free agent class of 18 players were also in attendance, as were a few dozen rookie minicamp tryout players. Of note, undrafted free agent tackle Isaiah World, who tore his ACL in January, was not on the field.
Chargers Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel summed up the significance of the moment for the fresh faces.
"Do not underestimate the power of the inaugural day, a journey that's a long time coming for a lot of players," McDaniel said. "They've worked their whole lives, have pictured a lot of things to get to the National Football League.
"Today is Day 1 and we're fortunate to be bringing a ton of new blood into the building that's highly football passionate, highly motivated and ready to contribute. It's a fun day just in that," McDaniel added. "The idea that it's the start for an NFL player's career, a ton of them, but then you double that down with the quality of players coming here and our expectations, it's fun to get started."
Overall, Friday's session wasn't overly taxing as it ran for just over 60 minutes and primarily consisted of individual drills with position coaches.
"The challenges for the players coming in for us is focus on details we're trying to iron out in terms of physical movement, how we approach each and every snap, how we run off the ball as an offensive lineman, how have deliberate and intentional feet as a quarterback and how we're jumping off the line of scrimmage as a receiver," McDaniel said. "There's a lot of that, painting a picture of how we want to play."
It was a simply a first step for players who haven't had a helmet on for practice in months.
"Just excited to see these guys showcase their skills," said Chargers Special Teams Coordinator Ryan Ficken. "From what we've seen on film to talking with them, now to be able to see them on the field and cut it loose … it's going to be fun."
While starting roles might be tough to come by on offense of defense for this group of youngsters, special teams could be an area where they make a strong first impression.
Keep in mind that the Bolts kept linebacker Marlowe Wax and cornerbacks Nikko Reed and Eric Rogers around last season after all three went undrafted.
"It's a real important not just for me, but for the organization," Ficken said. "It's an opportunity to see these guys move and then if you can better a spot and create more competition, that's only going to make us better as an organization, as a team and as players."
2. Slaughter at guard
There weren't any full-team drills Friday afternoon, but third-round pick Jake Slaughter is focused on transitioning to guard.
Slaughter played in 51 career games at Florida and made 33 career starts for the Gators, playing every snap of his college career at center.
But Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz said during the 2026 NFL Draft that they envision a position change for the 23-year-old.
"Do we feel like he can play guard in this scheme? The answer to that question is, 'Absolutely,'" Hortiz said.
Slaughter was asked about that transition on Friday after practice.
"My thing is that I'm going to go out and compete and do everything I can to be the best version of myself," Slaughter said. "It was a good start today and something I've been working at, cross training a little bit more and more, so I'm excited."
Slaughter later revealed that he did more "offensive line drill work" at guard before arriving for rookie minicamp, and noted that "spacing differences" and "footwork differences here and there" have been the biggest adaptations.
"It's a fun challenge," Slaughter said.
3. Thompson an option at returner?
One storyline to keep an eye on this spring?
How much return work does fourth-round wide receiver Brenen Thompson get?
The former Mississippi State standout only had one punt return in college (it went for 43 yards), but he also ran the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.26 seconds) at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
Ficken was asked Friday how the Chargers will potentially evaluate Thompson as a returner.
"It's the willingness and desire to want to do it. Maybe they don't have a lot of reps or examples of doing it, but they did it in practice," Ficken said.
"Then maybe you can turn on the offensive tape: how are their ball skills, how strong are their hands, how they track the ball. It's not that you can say, 'Oh, he definitely can do it.' But more, 'He's got the skillset to project to be able to do it.' That's what you're looking for," Ficken added.
Derius Davis, a 2023 fourth-round pick, is on the Chargers 90-man roster and has been an elite returner when healthy in the NFL.
Davis battled injuries in 2025 as he was limited to 11 games, with a knee issue affecting his usual burst and explosiveness.
Ficken said Friday that Davis has been working hard to return his game to form.
"He's got it in him and he's excited for it," Ficken said. "He's willing to do anything and everything to elevate that return game and get it off the ground."
