It’s no secret that the San Francisco 49ers have a need at edge rusher. General manager John Lynch said as much at the NFL Combine
, and the draft community has taken notice.Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft, with the 49ers’ pick written up by Niners Wire’s Kyle Madson, has San Francisco taking Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor at No. 27. And given that the 49ers have already met with Mesidor, this isn’t exactly a reach in terms of fit.
There are some notable questions with Mesidor, who didn’t break
out in college until his age 24 season. He’ll be 25 on Draft Day. While that’s certainly a red flag some teams will have to contend with, there’s enough combination of need and value here that could push San Francisco to pull the trigger on a player who would be a 30-year-old first-time free agent if he plays out all five years of his rookie contract. Mesidor is a three-down player who plays with the level of strength and violence on the edge that should allow him to step in and be effective on Day 1. Perhaps his ceiling isn’t high because of his developmental arc, but the 49ers need immediate contributors and Mesidor looks to fit that bill. They’re trying to take advantage of a Super Bowl window. His age can be a problem they deal with in 2029.
Hard to argue with the possibilities in his strengths. The issue here — and it’s a real one — is that Mesidor will be 25 in April. He played six years in college and only surpassed seven sacks in a season once. That aforementioned breakout year came with Rueben Bain Jr. drawing attention on the other side. That same Rueben Bain Jr. is going sixth in the same mock draft to the Dallas Cowboys (via a predicted trade).
That’s the thing that gives pause here, too. One breakout season is one breakout season. It doesn’t help when that breakout season is with a player going just outside of the top-5. Don’t get me wrong, Mesidor has a lot to like, but the weaknesses may outweigh all of that: Notably, a slower speed-to-power conversion.
Here’s where it gets complicated for the 49ers specifically. The argument isn’t whether Mesidor would be an upgrade over what they have opposite Nick Bosa right now. We’ve already established how low that bar is. The question is whether he’s enough of an impact player to take heat off Bosa and Mykel Williams. A first-round pick carries first-round expectations, and a 25-year-old with one dominant college season and a foot injury in his recent history is being asked to carry a lot of that weight.
The fit is there. The need is real. But if the 49ers take him, they’re betting on the 2025 tape being the real Mesidor rather than a one-year outlier. That’s not a crazy bet. It’s just not a sure one. Sometimes that one year turns into a franchise player. Other times? It turns into something like Trey Lance.
Are you still standing by or changing your takes on this — is Mesidor the right call at 27, or does the 49ers’ window demand more certainty at that pick?
