2026 NFL Draft: 1 guard in every round for the Chargers

We're less than a week out from the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chargers still hold five of their picks, but recent comments from general manager Joe Hortiz seem to suggest that LA will try to move around the board to add a few more bites at the apple. With that in mind, let's examine one prospect for every round of the draft at guard.

Round 1: Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M It feels inevitable that Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane will be off the board by the time the Chargers come on the clock at 22, and Los Angeles doesn't have much ammo for a trade-up to secure the consensus top guard in the class. Bisontis's stock has steadily climbed throughout the process, however, and he now seems like a player who will end up in the first round. Mostly a left guard, where the Chargers' biggest hole is, Bisontis has the traits to play zone or gap schemes and has the quickness and core strength necessary to be a longtime NFL starter.

Round 2: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech One of the cleanest characters in the draft - Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key called Rutledge the toughest player he's ever coached - Rutledge has spent a good chunk of the cycle taking reps for teams at center to prove he can play all three positions on the interior. That sort of added flexibility and willingness to do whatever it takes will surely be attractive to the Chargers. Despite mostly playing in a gap scheme in college, Georgia Tech's counter-heavy run game and Rutledge's testing proved that he has the skills to fit in a zone blocking scheme like LA's as well.

Round 3: Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame A college teammate of Chargers right tackle Joe Alt, Schrauth's medicals will be the key to his evaluation. He missed four games in 2024 and five in 2025 with ankle and knee injuries, respectively, after redshirting in 2022 due to a left foot injury. When he's on the field, however, Schrauth is a strong run blocker with a skilled zone background.