The Chargers are serious about building depth on the offensive line.
Their final selection of the draft at pick 206 was Oregon offensive tackle Alex Harkey, who joins Jake Slaughter, Travis Burke, and 202nd pick Logan Taylor as the newest players in the trenches for Los Angeles.
Harkey began his career at Tyler Junior College, then spent one season at Colorado before transferring down to Texas State, where he emerged as a starter at right tackle in 2024. His play there earned him a transfer back up to Oregon, where he started all 14 games at right tackle for Oregon and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten.
A former 260-pound tight end in high school, Harkey is an aggressive run blocker who was described as a consistent worker by coaches at Oregon. He was penalized nine times in 2025, including three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, two facemask penalties, two false start penalties, and two hold penalties. He’ll be a 25-year-old rookie who will need to move inside to be successful due to 31 3/4″ arms from the NFL Combine.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted that Harkey was up and down for Oregon but put “enough good things on tape” to be a draftable player. He had Harkey as the 13th-ranked guard in the class with a fifth-round grade and had this to say: “Harkey is a nimble mover with adequate play strength and a tenacious play personality, which should serve him well for a move inside. He has the tools to fight for a roster spot at guard and continue developing with NFL coaching.”
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Why the Chargers selected OL Alex Harkey
Reporting by Alex Katson, Chargers Wire / Chargers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
