Alex
Harkey.
Alex
Harkey.
Oregon· 6'5"· 313 lb· 5.24s 40
R6 · #206 · Los Angeles Chargers"Six years, four schools and a tight end conversion — the power arrived long before the technique, and the Chargers bought the power."Pre-draft read
This is a thick, heavy-handed blocker whose game is built on raw power and contact courage, rather than finesse. He has adequate length for tackle and clearly enough for guard, and when he lands the first punch he can uproot a defender and finish him into the ground given his nastiness. This shows up on down blocks and on pulls, where he moves well enough in space to hit a moving target.
The problem is repeatability. He plays high and lets his hips stall at contact, so quicker interior rushers get under him. His hands arrive late and outside the frame often enough that speed-to-power counters catch him mid-recovery, and tight hips limit how far he can chase a rusher once beaten around the arc.
This prospect fits best in a zone-heavy run scheme that prioritizes athletic linemen who can move in space and make reach blocks at the second level.
Harkey projects as a depth interior lineman in Year 1, with the ceiling to develop into a starting guard in a zone-heavy scheme due to his power and mobility.
He would be a poor fit in a gap/duo power run scheme that requires him to consistently win with leverage and quick hand placement, as his inconsistent pad level and hand timing would be exploited.
His journey through multiple programs and success at each stop demonstrates his adaptability and potential, but the concerns about his pad level and hand timing are significant enough to warrant a move inside to guard.
6th Round Draft Pick OL Alex Harkey College Highlights | LA Chargers
Game film cut-up of Alex Harkey's Oregon tape.
ALEX HARKEY FILM BREAKDOWN
Game film cut-up of Alex Harkey's Oregon tape.
Sip2Tally's 2026 Draft Profiles
Game film cut-up of Alex Harkey's Oregon tape.
Harkey projects as an interior lineman who can contribute with his raw power and contact courage. He offers immediate value as a rotational piece with the potential to develop into a starter, particularly at guard where his power can be maximized and his athletic limitations minimized. He offers versatility across four line spots, which is a valuable trait for a late-round selection looking to make a roster.
Harkey began his collegiate career at Tyler Junior College, transferring to Colorado in 2022 where he played mostly special teams. After a reserve year at Texas State in 2023, he started all 12 games at right tackle there in 2024, earning third-team All-Sun Belt. He then transferred to Oregon in 2025, starting 14 of 15 games at right tackle on a Joe Moore Award-finalist line and earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.
Evaluators noted his pad level and hand timing as primary concerns, leading to his availability in the later rounds. Despite positive reviews from the Senior Bowl and pre-draft interviews, these technical flags, combined with being a 25-year-old rookie still recovering from injury at the combine, resulted in a Sixth Round selection.
- 01
Raw power at contact
when the punch lands first he can displace a defensive lineman off the ball, and the finishing mentality is consistently praised.
- 02
Proven pass protection at the highest level
74.4 PFF pass-blocking grade at Oregon in 2025 with only 12 pressures allowed among tackles with 500+ snaps.
- 03
Versatility
has taken meaningful reps at both tackle spots and projects cleanly to either guard, providing flexibility needed for a late-round lineman.
- 04
Mobility for the frame
moves well enough as a puller and on climbs to reach a linebacker in space, an unusual carryover from junior college tight end.
- 05
Track record of upgrading
went from junior college to Colorado to Texas State to a Joe Moore Award-finalist Oregon line and started at every stop.
- 01
Pad level
high-hipped and plays tall, which is the root cause of nearly every lost rep; interior rushers get under his chest plate and stall his feet.
- 02
Hand timing
punches late and lands outside the frame too often, giving rushers a free path to his shoulder and forcing him into recovery mode.
- 03
Tight hips and limited recovery range
once beaten around the edge he cannot re-anchor or redirect, making the technical case for moving him inside.
- 04
Run blocking inconsistency
a 64.8 PFF run grade in 2025 indicated power does not consistently show up, despite playing on an award-finalist line.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.24sp50
- Vertical
- 31inp50
- Broad jump
- 99inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.69sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.90sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tyler Junior College | 4 |
| 2022 | Colorado | 12 |
| 2023 | Texas State | 4 |
| 2024 | Texas State | 12 |
| 2025 | Oregon | 15 |
| Career | — | 43 |
Offensive linemen have no counting statistics, so games and starts are the production record. Junior college seasons at Tyler JC (2020-21) are excluded from the FBS totals; the 2020 COVID season did not count against his eligibility and he played tight end in spring 2021 before moving to tackle that fall. FBS games/starts per school releases, Oregon athletics and PFF snap charting.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- 2024 Third-team All-Sun Belt (Texas State)
- 2025 Honorable mention All-Big Ten (Oregon)
- 2025 Member of a Joe Moore Award-finalist offensive line at Oregon
- 2026 Senior Bowl invitee — first Oregon player to accept that cycle
- 2026 NFL Draft: sixth round, 206th overall
Long-career swing lineman whose value is positional versatility and power off the bench rather than a starting job.
Small-school-path tackle converted inside who became a functional NFL starting guard when the reduced space hid his recovery limitations.
Developmental big man whose pad level never gets fixed and who lives on practice squads.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The Chargers have spent two drafts rebuilding the interior of their offensive line with size, and Harkey at 206 is the cheapest version of that idea: a 313-pound right tackle with 32½-inch arms whose power translates immediately and whose technique needs a position change to survive. Los Angeles took him as a guard, which is what Dane Brugler and most of the league projected, and the fit is straightforward — inside, the recovery athleticism he lacks matters less, and the punch that arrives a beat late still lands because the rusher is closer.
What he has to prove is whether the pad level is coachable at 25. Everything else on the profile is a plus for a sixth-rounder: he can play four positions, he protected well enough at Oregon to grade in the top ten of the Big Ten in pass blocking, and he came out of the Senior Bowl and the pre-draft interviews with strong reviews. Swing interior lineman is the realistic ceiling and a useful one; the starting job only comes if he learns to sink his hips.
Data note: Offensive linemen have no counting statistics, so games and starts are the production record. Junior college seasons at Tyler JC (2020-21) are excluded from the FBS totals; the 2020 COVID season did not count against his eligibility and he played tight end in spring 2021 before moving to tackle that fall. FBS games/starts per school releases, Oregon athletics and PFF snap charting.