Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and it was a wild one for the Chargers.

The Bolts sandwiched the selection of offensive lineman Jake Slaughter between a pair of trades, including one with the Patriots and one with the Browns, on a frenzied but fun night at The Bolt.

Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh held a press conference to recap the night after Slaughter chatted virtually with media members.

Here are five takeaways from Slaughter, Hortiz and Harbaugh after Day 2:

Slaughter played in 51 career games at Florida and made 33 career starts for the Gators, playing every snap of his college career at center.

But Hortiz and Harbaugh made it clear Friday night that they have a position switch in mind for the 23-year-old offensive lineman.

“Do we feel like he can play guard in this scheme? The answer to that question is, ‘Absolutely,'” Hortiz said.

Harbaugh added: “Jake’s been our top center through the entire process there. With the ability to play guard. At least he’ll get a real good, fighting chance to compete for the starting position.”

The Chargers currently have Trevor Penning penciled in at left guard while Harbaugh said at the 2026 Annual League Meeting that Cole Strange is the projected starter at right guard.

The Bolts also made a splash before free agency began by signing Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz to a multi-year contract.

Hortiz was asked directly if the plan was for Slaughter to compete for the starting left guard spot.

Slaughter, on his virtual media session, said he played guard in practice early in his career at Florida but never appeared there in a game.

“I played a good bit of guard as a young guy in college,” Slaughter said. “I fit best at center at school, but, you know, we talked about [guard] at the Combine at the Senior Bowl.

“Just now when they gave me the call like, ‘Hey, we’re going to go compete, you know, get the best five guys, maybe six guys on the field at once.’ Just go compete.”

Slaughter later added: “I’m preparing to go be a ballplayer, man. I want to get on the field and go help the team win games.”

If (or when) he does move to guard, Slaughter said he “absolutely” would feel comfortable doing so.

So, what makes the Chargers comfortable and confident that Slaughter can excel at a position switch?

Before the draft, Hortiz explained what the Chargers look for when evaluating tackles that can move inside the guard. On Friday night, he went into detail about how a center could kick out to guard.

“You look for plays where he has a man over his hat, right? How does he handle that? How’s the anchor? Can he gain leverage? Can he work the angle? And he does all those things,” Hortiz said of Slaughter. “Then you watch him get up into space, watch him reach guys at the second level, cut off backside flow, he does all those things extremely well.

“It’s what we’re going to ask him to do at guard and center here. We feel like he fits the bill for both positions,” Hortiz added.

Harbaugh, always one to welcome competitors to the roster, said Slaughter’s versatility and skillset will be a boost to the entire offensive line room.

“We project that, at worst if he’s not starting at guard, then he’ll be the next man in at all three positions — [left] guard, center, [right] guard. That’s incredible value,” Harbaugh said. “I predict a couple years from now that’s going to be a highly valuable player.”

“Another guy, just a ballplayer who’s willing to work. Just a tremendous fit at a position of need,” Harbaugh added. “Also, to have young lineman under contract, that’s huge and something we needed.”