It was a dream night for Class 2020 CFC100 DE Akheem Mesidor, who was selected ___ overall in the ___ round by the ___ at the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mesidor began his football career in his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, suiting up for the North Gloucester Giants. He initially attended high school in the Nation’s Capital at St. Matthew before moving to St. Catharines to play at the now defunct program Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada.
Seeking to further boost his recruitment and get more DI attention, Mesidor transferred to Clearwater Academy International in Florida for his senior season. During his senior campaign, he tallied 92 tackles and 10 sacks, showcasing the elite traits that would go on to define his college career. Mesidor earned a diverse list of offers leading up to and throughout his senior season, including offers from Power 5 programs like UCLA, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. After narrowing down his options, he committed to West Virginia shortly after his official visit in December 2019, joining the team for the 2020 season and quickly establishing himself as a star in the making.
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Mesidor began his collegiate journey with the Mountaineers in 2020, where he wasted no time making his mark. As a true freshman, he led the team with five sacks and earned Freshman All-American honours logging big minutes as a rotational defensive end. As a sophomore, Mesidor was used primarily as a nose tackle in WVUβs defence, stepping in as a full-time starter. Then, at 6β2, 270lbs, the star pass rusher posted 38 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 8 TFLs. Shortly thereafter, the Ottawa native transferred to play for the Miami Hurricanes to test himself in the ACC.
Mesidor made an immediate splash at Miami, earning All-ACC honours in 2022, building off of his back-to-back Big 12 honours. He posted new career highs in sacks with seven, and tackles for loss with 10.5, to tag along with 4 pass knockdowns and a forced fumble from his original natural end spot. Unfortunately, however, his ensuing 2023 season was cut short by foot injuries, limiting him to just a couple of games.
He bounced back in 2024, starting all 13 games and recording 5.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss, proving he was fully recovered and a force to be reckoned with in the trenches wherever he lined up. Upon seasonβs end, Mesidor elected to forgo the NFL Draft and return for a final season capitalizing on his injury redshirt season and his extra year granted from the 2020 COVID season, which is a move that’s paid dividends and solidified himself as an NFL prospect.
Entering the 2025 season as the leader of the Hurricanesβ front alongside Rueben Bain Jr., Mesidor took his game to superstar level. Heβs started 15 games this year playing across the defensive line once again, though his time is focused primarily at the end spot. The sixth-year defensive lineman now listed at 6β3β, 265lbs performed at an elite level, recording a career-high 63 total tackles and 12 tackles for loss, while also notching seven sacks and an absurd four forced fumbles. His dominant play earned him First-Team All-ACC honours, and also helped lead the Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Mesidorβs 2025 performance cemented his status as a bona fide NFL prospect, and as the top-ranked prospect in the CFL Scouting Bureauβs Top 20βalong with our very own CFC40 CFL/NFL Draft Rankings.
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