A Canadian-born pass rusher who went from West Virginia to a First-Team All-ACC season at Miami, then heard his name called 22nd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Akheem Mesidor, born in Ottawa, Ontario, built his game at West Virginia before transferring to Miami, where he developed into one of the country's most disruptive edge defenders. The Los Angeles Chargers made him a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, banking on his explosiveness and power to anchor their front seven.
Path to the league
Mesidor started as a true freshman at West Virginia, earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors with 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. After moving to nose tackle as a sophomore and adding 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Miami, where he started from 2022 through 2025.
Career highlights
At Miami, Mesidor developed into a disruptive interior-to-edge force, capped by First-Team All-ACC and Second-Team All-American honors in 2025. His pass-rush ability, including a standout performance against Notre Dame with 1.5 sacks on the game's final two plays, helped him rank among the FBS leaders in pass-rush win rate and pushed him into first-round conversations.
2025 season recap
Mesidor's 2025 season at Miami was his best, earning First-Team All-ACC and Second-Team All-American recognition as he anchored the Hurricanes' defensive front. The Chargers selected him 22nd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he enters his rookie year working through durability questions after foot surgeries limited him at multiple points earlier in his college career.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Akheem Mesidor
- Athlon Sports: Akheem Mesidor Scouting Report
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Miami
- Hometown
- Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
