LOS ANGELES -- For someone who once thought he'd never coach, Nick Hardwick found himself in the strangest of places:

Sitting in an Indiana high school, as midnight approached, breaking down film.

"I was getting four hours of sleep a night," he recalled Monday, "and I was like, 'Well, if I'm doing this for free and actually donating money, why would I not do this at another level, one that I'm more familiar with?' "

That's part of what led Hardwick back home, to the Chargers, the former Pro Bowl center now an offensive line assistant.

A veteran of 11 NFL seasons, Hardwick, 42, is making his professional coaching debut with the only franchise he has ever known and for a boss who has spent the last three months preaching the importance of the offensive front.

Jim Harbaugh hasn't stopped talking about his trench-first philosophy since his introductory news conference in February. Just last week, he called offensive linemen "weapons."

The Chargers on Thursday used their first pick in the draft — No. 5 overall — on Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt. They also just picked up the fifth-year option on the contract of left tackle Rashawn Slater.

"To have a coach say that offensive linemen are weapons and they're valued," Hardwick said, "that's pretty awesome."

Under Harbaugh, the Chargers will be playing offense closer to the ground. They'll still feature record-setting quarterback Justin Herbert, but the roster is being reshaped to improve and toughen the running game.

Harbaugh and new general manager Joe Hortiz allowed the more elusive Austin Ekeler to depart in free agency and replaced him with a bruising Gus Edwards and an explosive J.K. Dobbins.

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