The draft is officially behind us, and the Chargers actually did what they were supposed to do, which was add some backups where needed (especially along the offensive line), and add a possible starter at edge rusher.
The first pick by the Chargers at 22 was the obvious best of the draft. Edge Akheem Mesidor of Miami will clearly fill a need left by the departure of edge Odafe Oweh and had career highs in 2025 in defensive snaps played, as well as in Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades like defense, run defense, and pass rush.
It’s more fun, though, to look at players drafted in the later rounds to determine who may emerge as a vital piece of this team, and that player may just be offensive tackle Travis Burke.
Travis Burke’s 2025
The Chargers traded up with the Texans, providing them with pick 123 in the fourth round and 204 in the sixth to get Burke at 117. Burke did some traveling in college, having played two seasons at Gardner–Webb, two at FIU, and the last at Memphis. 2025 was his best year in multiple categories.
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In terms of PFF grades, he had his highest pass (81.5%) and run-blocking (84.2%) grades, allowing only 13 pressures. Out of 632 offensive tackles, he was 34th in pass-blocking.
He started all last season at right tackle, while in 2024 and 2023, he started at left.
His build alone, as he’s listed either at or almost at 6’9’’, depending on the profile, makes him hard to miss in the highlights, and when he sucks people into his orbit, they either get knocked over or never escape.
General manager Joe Hortiz relayed in the post-draft press conference that Burke was “just bulldozing guys in the open field” in his highlights. In “The Beast,” The Athletic’s draft guide, one of Burke’s weaknesses noted by Dane Brugler is that he “missed the final two games of senior season because of lower-body injury (Nov. 2025).”
Burke does have a lot of football under his belt, having started 22 games at FIU and 11 in 2025 at Memphis, so if he’s healthy, he has the experience to back up his production and, with some training, should be ready to contribute in a big way in LA.
How Burke Could Fit With The Chargers
Hortiz already confirmed that the Chargers’ staff sees Burke as a swing, flex tackle. Offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III is currently their go-to option in this position, but he had a few injuries last year, playing 12 games. Pipkins has also been up and down in pass-blocking and mostly down when it comes to run-blocking, so improvement is needed when it comes to backups at this position.
Given the injuries to offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, coupled with the ones to Pipkins, the Chargers had to rely on quite a few offensive tackles in 2025, and not all performed well. To have someone like Burke who could come in at either tackle spot would be a big advantage.
Burke’s size is also advantageous, as assistant general manager Chad Alexander pointed out that he’s a “massive human being.” He’s even taller than Alt, so depending on whether he gets to see any game action, there will be another tower of a man shielding quarterback Justin Herbert from harm’s way.
It’s especially encouraging that Burke was ninth out of offensive tackles in terms of his PFF run-blocking grade, which bodes well for the Chargers being able to get the most out of their running backs, especially Omarion Hampton.
Both Slater and Alt may need some added rest time at different points throughout the season, so it will be helpful to have someone like Burke waiting in the wings.