Official 2026 Chargers Roster Discussion | Roster Build | Free Agency

[YAC]

“Just playing very nasty is just how I believe O-line is meant to be played,” Penning said at the combine. “You want that guy across from you to hate to go against you. You want to see the fear in his eyes almost. You want him to be exhausted and he wants to go home and get on that flight and get the hell out of there. It’s a huge, huge part of my game.”

Not sure how much of that improves or degrades the Chargers with him on the roster. But...DAMN. ENTERTAINING.

Thanks for the read, DB. I'm gonna laugh myself to bed.

[CanadianBoltFan]

WR in round 2...in this draft it would be ridiculous in round 1 as there are multiple high quality mid sized receivers who can be had in round 2.

You could be right...lots of downfield X types also. i am just not sure what the Chargers are thinking.

You could also say the same thing about edge, pretty deep class with 2nd round options also

[CanadianBoltFan]

Not buying the Mike McDaniels offense thrives when the guard play is terrible bit.
I really wish the dude would have explained how McDaniels asks his guards to do things that are very difficult, and ruins their PFF grades, but it gets the job done.
He hinted at it and then dropped the subject.

The guards have to succeed at something. Jonah Savaiinaea was a high 2nd round pick for Miami last year .... McDaniels must have wanted him to accomplish something.
6'5'' / 325 pounds ... the dude ran a 4.95 - 40 at the combine.

Well if you want evidence that McDaniels system is not foolproof at masking below average guard play...look no further than that 39th overall pick, one Jonah Savaiinaea. The system did not help the highly regarded draft pick as he was terrible for the Dolphins, literally the worst guard in football not only on the field but with an overall grade of 28.4...81 of 81 guards last year.

Something went very wrong with the system. I don't think the plan was to throw a very high draft investment to the wolves.

[DerwinBosa]

Go Long's Bob McGinn is going to run his NFL Draft series again this year. The website provided links to his previous articles, so I decided to look up what some anonymous NFL scouts said about Trevor Penning in 2022. Some interesting stuff that I think is still relevant today. He was ranked fourth among the offensive tackles.

4. TREVOR PENNING, Northern Iowa (6-7, 333, 4.92, 1): Trevor’s young brother, Jared, was the more prominent recruit so the Panthers hoped by securing him they’d get Jared a year later (which they did). “His first year was a struggle,” said one scout. “He got beat up every day at practice.” Constant weight-gain and what was described as “robot-borderline psycho” dedication to football moved him into the lineup at LT in 2019. “He has a chance to be a dominant right tackle,” a second scout said. “I don’t see a left tackle. I liked a lot of things I saw at the Senior Bowl but not the left-tackle stuff. There’s a chance for him to be a Jon Runyan right tackle.” Embraces the physical part of the game, sometimes to the detriment of the team because of his penalties. “He plays dirty, he’s a cheap-shot artist, all that,” said a third scout. “He’s a total prick. For some people, that’s a negative. For others, they like that. He didn’t really perform great at the Senior Bowl. He got his ass beat some. But it’s a big man’s game, and he’s a big man.” One of those scouts who didn’t appreciate the extracurriculars said: “He wants to get in a fight with everybody. I can show you film against those little piss-ant schools they play where he got his ass whipped. This guy’s gonna go because he’s so big and tough and all that, but I don’t like his intangibles that much. He’s going to get his ass kicked in the NFL. All those damn bottle rockets that weigh about 255 will hit him three times before he even blinks.” Arms were 34 ¼. Wonderlic of 23. “Good-looking kid at 333 and he still could fill out more if he wanted to,” said another scout. “I am not in agreement that he should go top 10. He tested well but he’s not as good an athlete as those guys (Ekwonu, Neal, Cross). He’s a better player than the kid (Spencer Brown) that came out of there last year that Buffalo took in the third round and wound up starting. I didn’t see a first-round player (in Penning).” From Clear Lake, Iowa.

Tyler Linderbaum and Penning were the two linemen featured prior to the rankings being revealed. Some more interesting stuff written about Penning there.

With apologies to several other offensive linemen, tackle Trevor Penning and center Tyler Linderbaum brought a certain joie de vivre to their college football careers that should make them valuable NFL starters if not Pro Bowl players for years to come.

A self-styled “prick” on a football field, Penning is about as overt with his bullying style of play as the offensive line has seen in a while.

Penning, who arrived at Northern Iowa as a gangly 253-pounder, needed two years of development before his career took off.

“Linderbaum was a Kirk special, but they completely whiffed on Penning. It’s amazing that Iowa missed on Penning and now he’s going in the top 15.”

Penning, who became Public Enemy No. 1 if you were a defensive player at the Senior Bowl three months ago, isn’t among the 21 players set to attend the draft in Las Vegas but the celebration at UNI couldn’t be more eagerly anticipated.

“He’s all about football,” said a personnel man who has interviewed Penning. “Dedicated. Tough kid. That’s just the way he plays. He said, ‘Nobody’s gonna intimidate me.’”

Penning had his share of rough moments during Senior Bowl week. He needs work, especially if asked to move from his three-year home at left tackle to the right tackle in the pros. What stood out in Mobile was the pushing and shoving Penning initiated in the padded practices.

“The defensive line in Mobile hated this guy,” an AFC exec said. “They just wanted to fight him. This guy is as mean as the day is long. He’s got the right demeanor.”

No punches were thrown. After each late shove, Penning would look or turn the other way, putting the defensive player in danger of being penalized if he retaliated too strenuously.

“It’s not like he’s proactively saying, ‘I’m going to maul this mf every chance I get,’” said one scout. “That’s not his intent. But he finishes basically to the same point on every play. As soon as he finishes it, it’s, like, ‘Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Then I’ll line up and do this again.’ No malice with it until I guess he really gets pushed to the edge.”

Penning drew 13 penalties in each of his two full seasons (2019, ’21). Most were for holding and false starts but he had his share of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, too, not unlike Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan, the NFL player he most emulates.

“Just playing very nasty is just how I believe O-line is meant to be played,” Penning said at the combine. “You want that guy across from you to hate to go against you. You want to see the fear in his eyes almost. You want him to be exhausted and he wants to go home and get on that flight and get the hell out of there. It’s a huge, huge part of my game.”

[gzubeck]

I am seeing it this way too. I think IOL will be round 3 or 4

Who knows their thinking and the way the board goes but if i have to guess I would go with Edge or WR in round 1, DB wouldn't shock me either

WR in round 2...in this draft it would be ridiculous in round 1 as there are multiple high quality mid sized receivers who can be had in round 2.

[CanadianBoltFan]

only one OG is 1st round worthy.... like most drafts.... most OG's are 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounders....

and MM values them less than Chargers usually do....lol

so we will likely address OG day 2 or 3.... lol

Im beginning to believe our first rounder will be Sediq or a WR or a pass rusher....our needs at TE and WR are greater than most think and if QJ is traded, WR jumps up even higher..... MM's offense needs a true reliable number one WR....

I am seeing it this way too. I think IOL will be round 3 or 4

Who knows their thinking and the way the board goes but if i have to guess I would go with Edge or WR in round 1, DB wouldn't shock me either

[Boltjolt]

I don't make up my own numbers. Just use SpoTrac's estimates.

Oh,....ok gotcha. Was wondering how you got that number lol
Pickins is a very good receiver just don't know if our front office would trade for him or sign him.

[Charge!]

Take one of them in 1st and get your DL in 2nd

only one OG is 1st round worthy.... like most drafts.... most OG's are 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounders....

and MM values them less than Chargers usually do....lol

so we will likely address OG day 2 or 3.... lol

Im beginning to believe our first rounder will be Sediq or a WR or a pass rusher....our needs at TE and WR are greater than most think and if QJ is traded, WR jumps up even higher..... MM's offense needs a true reliable number one WR....