Keldric Faulk
Getty
Auburn pass rusher Keldric Faulk
After having one of the best defensive lines in the 2025 season under former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, the Los Angeles Chargers defensive front will look a bit different.
Chris O’Leary is now the DC, after Minter left to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and a few members of the defensive line have signed with new teams. This forces the Bolts to prioritize a group that was a strength.
Chargers Add 10-Sack Defensive Lineman
Keldric Faulk
GettyThe Chargers are predicted to go with a defensive selection in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft
The free agency is still ongoing, but Bleacher Report predicts that the Chargers will handle the situation in the 2026 NFL Draft, with the publication predicting the team will select Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk with the 22nd overall pick.
“The trenches remain the primary sticking point for the Los Angeles Chargers. Though the attention could finally shift away from the offensive line and flip to the other side of the ball since Odafe Oweh, Otito Ogbonnia and Da’Shawn Hand signed elsewhere in free agency,” the B/R scouting department wrote. ”
Draft analysts at B/R believe the Bolts are the ideal situation for Faulk to “maximize” the pass rusher’s career. Faulk, who has been with Auburn his entire collegiate career, has logged 10 sacks and 109 tackles, with 19.5 of those tackles being for a loss.
“The Chargers improved their interior offensive line during free agency by signing Tyler Biadasz, thus reducing their previously glaring need, ” Matt Holder wrote. “Meanwhile, Faulk combines upside with the ability to immediately contribute as a starter over Justin Eboigbe. The Auburn product’s pass-rush skills are a work-in-progress, but head coach Jim Harbaugh should be more than excited to work with the 20-year-old’s measurables.”
Adding an edge rusher to be in rotation with Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack would give the Chargers a top-tier pass rush, as the team had in the 2025 season.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein calls Keldric Faulk’s pass rush game “diverse,” and as a player who “needs polish but offers a high ceiling that should reveal itself within a couple of years.”
The Interior Offensive Line
Tyler Biadasz
GettyThe Chargers signed Tyler Biadasz to a three-year deal
The Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line in the 2025 season was one of the worst in the league, with Justin Herbert being sacked 54 times, the third-most in the league.
LA answered part of the problem, as mentioned above, by signing center Tyler Biadasz to replace Bradley Bozeman, who retired as he was entering the second year of his deal.
Left guard Zion Johnson signed with the Cleveland Browns instead of returning for a fifth season with the team and right guard Mehki Becton was released after struggling last season, leaving the guard spots without a quality starter or a promising prospect.
Other mock drafts have the Chargers selecting a guard, with the most common player being Vega Ioane from Penn State.
The Bolts still have time to analyze who they will select in the upcoming draft, as both the pass rusher and interior offensive line remain an issue.