The Chargers traded down nine spots, drafted Florida center Jake Slaughter at No. 63 and picked up two extra draft picks on a busy Day 2 that also included another deal with the Cleveland Browns. They entered the draft with five picks and walked out with nine after spending two of them.
Los Angeles took Akheem Mesidor at No. 22 in the first round, then moved from No. 55 to No. 63 with the New England Patriots and got a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder in return. Joe Hortiz said the Chargers were prepared to take Slaughter at No. 55, a sign of how strongly they viewed the Florida lineman even after they slid back.
The second trade came at No. 86, when the Chargers sent that pick to the Cleveland Browns and received a fourth-rounder, a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder. That left Hortiz with nine picks overall and seven projected for Day 3, including fourth-round selections at No. 105, No. 123 and No. 131, a fifth-rounder at No. 145, and sixth-round picks at No. 202, No. 204 and No. 206.
Slaughter’s fit is the part that explains why the Chargers were willing to maneuver the board. He played center exclusively in college, but he said Friday night that he did practice at guard early in his Florida career, and he took reps there during the Senior Bowl in January. He never played guard in a game, yet the Chargers believe he can work there in offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme.
That belief tracks with how Hortiz has attacked the middle and late rounds. In 2024, he drafted Justin Eboigbe in the fourth round, Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart in the fifth, and Kimani Vidal in the sixth. In 2025, he added Oronde Gadsden and KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth round and RJ Mickens in the sixth. Slaughter was Hortiz’s blue star prospect this year, and the scouting staff’s top internal endorsement went to the player the Chargers were willing to chase even after moving back.
Hortiz said the scouts were excited, and the rest of the draft board now reflects that confidence. The Chargers did not just add a center; they turned one second-round slot into a player they wanted and a deeper stash of selections to keep building after Day 2.