2026 NFL Draft Sleepers the Los Angeles Chargers Should Love

Jakobi Lane

Currently mocked anywhere from late second round to the tail end of the third, his Trojan teammate Makai Lemon is currently overshadowing Jakobi Lane in the pre-draft process, which naturally has led to him being overlooked, but the six-foot-four X receiver is far from an afterthought. More fluid for his size than he gets credit for, he would bring an element of catch radius and physicality to a Chargers wide receiver core that doesn’t have much of it.

Lane had a sensational combine, running a very fluid gauntlet drill, showcasing his extremely impressive 40” vertical, massive hands, and running a very strong 40-yard dash for a WR standing at six-foot-four and 200 pounds. All in all, Lane did everything a guy like him could do to rise up boards, but all of the conversation has been headed elsewhere with topics like Makai Lemon’s presser, Jordan Tyson’s injury history, and other typical offseason storylines. Since Mike Williams, Justin Herbert has been missing out on a contested catch guy who can also pose as a RAC threat. Look no further than Jakobi Lane.

Harold Perkins Jr.

Harold Perkins Jr. is the typical cautionary tale of too much hype too quickly in the college world. A freak athlete in every sense of the word, he was on top of the world in the beginning of his college career when he started to create buzz as a potential future superstar as a result of his 2022 campaign. Fast forward to today, where he is being mocked as a late Day 2 pick who can even slip into the final day of the draft as a result of shaky production in his latter years at LSU and an injury history.

Where Perkins Jr. wins is with his freakish athleticism, which made his decision to not participate in the combine a bit perplexing, but it doesn’t take an eagle-eyed scout to flip on the tape and see what makes him so special athletically. A good blitzer, a willing special teamer, and a sideline-to-sideline athlete. If the Bolts can take a look at him in the later rounds, with a thin linebacker room, there’s reason to believe a healthy Perkins Jr. could blossom in L.A.

Kamari Ramsey

We take a trip back to USC, this time on the defensive side of the ball. Ramsey is a safety with experience playing the corner position, and he spent the majority of his time at the nickel spot due to a very banged-up USC defense. That kind of versatility is constantly desired by NFL teams, but new DC Chris O’Leary plans on deploying a similar defense to Jesse Minter, where he will use five or six DBs on every snap, with Derwin James typically manning the nickel spot.

Ramsey’s ability to play all over the field immediately makes him an intriguing prospect for L.A. As far as a “calming” presence is concerned, the USC defense leaned on Ramsey heavily, and typically, the former four-star delivered. As far as athletics, Ramsey doesn’t pop off the screen, relying more on his technical prowess and football IQ, but he did put up a respectable 4.47 40 time, ensuring that while it may not be a strength, his speed will not be a liability in the NFL.

Nadame Tucker

Probably the easiest connection to make in this list, Tucker put up a dominant 14.5 sack season and posted a nation-best pass rush win rate (40.8%) at Western Michigan this past year, under Chris O’Leary, and newly minted Chargers LB coach Sean Spence. His sack total and 21 TFLs were good for 1st in the country, and he was a dominating force at the Senior Bowl.

If either Oweh or Mack do not return to the Bolts for the 2026 campaign, the Chargers cannot rely on a complete 180 from Kyle Kennard after his suspect rookie campaign, or subpar play from the Bud Duprees of the world. It makes total sense for O’Leary and Spence to bring in someone who has had proven production and a rapport with the current defensive staff. And it wouldn’t take premier draft capital, as Tucker is currently believed to be a Day 3 pick with an outside chance to slide into a late Day 2 selection.

Jalen Farmer

Now, there’s no reason why the Bolts would have to address the starting three interior OL positions in the draft, as it should be taken care of by the end of free agency, with a now league-leading $99 million available after the releases of Mekhi Becton and Will Dissly. With that said, the Bolts only have three current rostered offensive linemen, so depth will most certainly need to be addressed. Enter Jalen Farmer, a fringe Day 2 pick that will most likely be present on Day 3, Farmer is much better than his big board position entails, and fits General Manager Joe Hortiz’s comments about shifting their focus to more athletic offensive linemen. Farmer has an impressive tape against SEC competition and is a strong blend of nasty and athletic in the run game, something that is most certainly intriguing to new OC Mike McDaniel. Farmer had a strong 40 time for his size, running at 4.93 at six-foot-five and 312 pounds, showcasing that athleticism, but his nastiness as a puller really pops off the screen when you watch his time at Kentucky.