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Chargers Land Khalil Mack Replacement in 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paul White | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 2:23 PM ET

After the Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs, there were major question about Khalil Mack’s future with the team.

He’s still posting solid production, but he’s aging rapidly, and the Chargers had so many other free agents they needed to retain.

Joey Bosa was also slated to enter free agency which put the team in a conundrum knowing they couldn’t lose both of their edge rushers.

Once the former Defensive Rookie of the year was released, it indicated that Mack would likely be back. ESPN reported that the former Bear was re-signing and he was outwardly enthusiastic about the deal.

While it may be nice to have at least one of their star edge rushers back, the Chargers know Mack will be gone sooner rather than later, so they need to start scouting for his replacement now.

Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone made a way-too-early 2026 mock draft that had Los Angeles selecting Dani Dennis-Sutton at the back end of the first round.

The bolts selected the star pass rusher with the No. 22 pick in the mock draft, but it is unclear where they’ll truly be picking.

The Penn State Nittany Lions standout has rapidly improved in each of his first three seasons, raising his sack and tackle totals drastically.

Now that his former teammate, Abdul Carter, was selected by the New York Giants, Dennis-Sutton should see more time on the field.

This season is an inflection point in his career, so he can either plateau, ascend out of the Chargers draft range, or slide back a couple rounds and be selected later by Los Angeles.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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