Akheem Mesidor will be rushing the passer for the Chargers moving forward.
A star EDGE from Miami, Akheem Mesidor is the newest member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Entering the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, the Chargers held the No. 22 overall selection. For every franchise in the league, the opening round matters in a major way, whether that team believes it is close to competing for a championship or still has work to do to improve its roster. This is the portion of the draft where front offices hope to land star-level talent, and in the NFL, players taken in the first round are often expected to make their presence felt from the jump. Because of how much ready-made talent comes into the league each year, rookies are often asked to play important roles immediately and sometimes become some of the best players on their team right away.
On Thursday, the Chargers used that first-round pick to select Akheem Mesidor, making him the team’s most notable rookie addition heading into the 2026 season. A key piece of Miami's run to the College Football Playoff Championship, he now takes his talents to the NFL in Los Angeles. He was the sidekick to Rueben Bain Jr., who was selected by Tampa Bay just seven picks prior.
Now, the focus shifts to how quickly Akheem Mesidor can settle in and become the type of year-one contributor who helps take Los Angeles to another level. The Chargers clearly did their homework on this draft class and came away confident in this decision. As the offseason continues, we’ll have more on this pick, as well as every other selection Los Angeles makes over the next two days and throughout all seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.