DRAFTEDRound 1 · Pick #22Los Angeles ChargersREACHC+

Akheem Mesidor

EDGE #6 · Miami (FL) · 6-4 / 265 lbs
R1
ACTUAL #22

Draft-Week Buzz

Buzz items pulled from beat-writer reports, ESPN/NFL.com transactions, Pro Day recaps, and verified Top 30 visit reports in the 30 days leading into the 2026 NFL Draft. Each linked headline goes to the original source. See our full draft-week news tab for cross-prospect timeline.

Scouting Nugget: Pairs with Bain

Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is EDGE Rusher #6 in the 2026 class.

Scouting Profile

Combine / Pro Day Measurables (reported)

40-yard dash4.72
Vertical jump (in)33.5
Broad jump9'9"
Bench press (225 reps)23 reps
3-cone drill7.12
20-yard shuttle4.32
Wingspan82.0"
Hand size10"

Numbers compiled from NFL Scouting Combine results, Pro Day box scores, and beat-writer reports. "Reported" means cross-referenced against multiple sources; verify on nfl.com/combine for definitive marks.

College Career Stats

Strengths

  • Polished hand fighter — wins half-man with consistency
  • Canadian climber who went from no-stars to ACC starter — high motor
  • Pairs with Rueben Bain Jr. as one of college's most disruptive EDGE duos
  • Above-average run defender for a pass-rush specialist
  • Plays bigger than 265 lbs at the point of attack

Weaknesses / Areas to Develop

  • Tweener size — not big enough for true base end, not bendy enough for elite stand-up rusher
  • Injury history (2024 lower-body) flags medical re-checks
  • Older prospect (24+) limits long-term ceiling

NFL Pro Comparison

Emmanuel Ogbah — tweener-sized power-edge who rotates between 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB across a long starter career

Mock-Draft Consensus

ESPN (Jordan Reid) PFF Big Board Jeremiah Top 50 Consensus Avg Realistic Range
#33 #20 #26.5 Picks 20-32

30-day trend: Stable — Day 1 lock

Ranks cross-referenced from ESPN's Jordan Reid top-500, PFF's 2026 Big Board top-200, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50 (NFL.com). Realistic draft-night range reflects projected team fit and trade scenarios, not just big-board placement.

Advanced Stats & Production

2025 PFF pass-rush83.6
PFF run defense80.2
Pass-rush win rate18%
Pressure rate15%
Sacks7.5

Metrics blended from PFF grade sheets, school box scores, and Combine/Pro Day box scores. Position-specific: QB shows efficiency + turnover rates, WR/TE show route-running + contested-catch, OL shows pass-block grade + pressures allowed, EDGE/IDL show pass-rush win rate + pressure rate, LB/DB show coverage grade + missed-tackle rate.

Outcome Range

Scheme Fit

Multiple-front 3-4 with rotation — Macdonald / Vrabel / Quinn schemes that interchange EDGE roles

Pre-Draft Visits

Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens

Signature College Game

2025 vs Florida State: 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 1 forced fumble — combined with Bain for 5 sacks in a 41-7 Miami statement win

Sources

Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.

Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits

NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Akheem Mesidor as a Day 2/3 replacement option.

Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.

NFL Scheme Fit

NFL Scheme Fit

  • 4-3 base DE / 5-tech in a 3-4 even front
    San Francisco 49ers · Buffalo Bills · Philadelphia Eagles · New Orleans Saints

Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.

Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook

Projected Rookie Contract Value

~$13.0M – $52.0M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #1-32 · ~100% guaranteed

Mid-pick band — guarantee % varies pick-to-pick

Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot

BEST CASE: New Orleans Saints · #8
Why: EDGE listed in their top-5 positional needs; runs a scheme that maximizes his profile.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
WORST CASE: Pittsburgh Steelers · #21
Why: EDGE not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.

Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.

By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context

Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.

Akheem Mesidor’s NFL Archetype: Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys)

Closest EDGE physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-4/265 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.

Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.

Similar EDGE Rusher Prospects

Closest matches to Akheem Mesidor (6-4 / 265 lbs, #6 EDGE) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.

→ Full EDGE Rushers rankings

Miami (FL) & The 2026 Class

More from Miami (FL)

→ All Miami (FL) prospects

Other R1 prospects in the 2026 class

Different positions, same projected draft tier as Akheem Mesidor.

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