Edge Akheem Mesidor was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, with the 22nd overall pick.

Mesidor was among draft prospects visiting the Cincinnati Bengals on April 10, according to NFL Network, along with fellow University of Miami Hurricanes prospect Rueben Bain Jr. and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.

Mesidor played two seasons at West Virginia and four seasons at Miami.

Mesidor was a college teammate at Miami of Bengals defensive back DJ Ivey for one season, and Bengals offensive lineman Jalen Rivers for three seasons.

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Mesidor has talked about having to walk more than two miles in a snowstorm to attend football training.

Mesidor was expected to be a first- or second-round pick.

"I think if you just looked at the tape, you would think top-15 pick," ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said. "He's fast. He's angry against the run. He stacks up well. He's an older prospect and he's had a lot of injuries. That's the thing you worry about with him. He's 25, you've had three notable injuries. Where does that put him? I think it puts him in the back half of Round 1, maybe mid-20s."

Mesidor said swimming helped him lose 20 pounds to get down to 265 before his final college season. He said he entered fall camp in 2025 in the best shape of his life.

Mesidor also tied for fifth with 17.5 tackles for loss, and tied for sixth with four forced fumbles.

Mesidor earned first-team all-ACC honors in his final college season.

In 2024, Mesidor earned honorable mention all-ACC honors, starting all 13 games with 32 tackles, nine TFLs and 5.5 sacks.

"Mesidor is an instinctive, high-effort edge rusher with a fluid rush style and a deep toolbox," Zierlein wrote in Mesidor's NFL.com draft prospect profile. "He bursts upfield and can shrink the corner while punishing oversetting tackles with inside counters. … The talent and motor are obvious, but his age and injury history could push some teams to discount his grade below what the tape shows."

ESPN's Andrea Adelson wrote that Mesidor's path to potential first-round prospect has been unconventional.

In his one season of high school football in the United States – 1,500 miles away from home and living with a host family – Mesidor had 92 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

In his second season at WVU, Mesidor was named all-Big 12 honorable mention, but he played through a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.

After transferring to Miami, he played through a torn ligament in his foot in 2022, but still posted impressive statistics (10.5 TFLs, seven sacks).

He tore a ligament in his other foot in the season opener the following season.

In 2023, Mesidor played in just two games for the Hurricanes. Torn ligaments in both feet required season-ending surgery.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Akheem Mesidor is Chargers' 2026 NFL Draft round 1 pick