The Miami Hurricanes have another first rounder taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. EDGE Akheem Mesidor earned that distinction by being taken with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the draft on Thursday night by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Mesidor’s story is perhaps the most remarkable in this entire Miami class – a journey that began as a three-star recruit from Clearwater Academy International in Florida, bounced through West Virginia for two seasons where he earned second-team Freshman All-American and All-Big 12 honors two years in a row, then followed Mario Cristobal to Miami in 2022 as part of the transfer portal era’s most transformative individual story.
A serious foot injury, that required surgery on both feet, wiped out most of his 2023 season, but Mesidor came back stronger each time, finishing his college career in the 2025 season with 63 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles – earning first-team All-ACC honors and second-team All-American recognition.
He finished with 35.5 career sacks across six college seasons, and his technical pass-rush toolkit – in large part due to development with Miami DE Coach Jason Taylor – had scouts describing him as one of the most technically refined pass rushers in the country, regardless of class.
Some evaluators privately rated him above Rueben Bain. His selection alongside Bain makes them the highest-drafted pair of defensive ends from the same school in NFL history, surpassing the Miami duo of Jaelan Phillips (18th) and Gregory Rousseau (30th) from 2021. The Canadian came a long way to get here and could be the highest selected Canadian natives ever.
Congrats, Akheem, and best of luck with the Chargers.
