The Carolina Panthers have been connected to a major move for a star pass rusher.
The Carolina Panthers definitely need help with their pass rush, which has been the story for the team multiple years now.
Remember: last offseason, one of the Panthers' top priorities was finding help with their pass rush after finishing with just 32 sacks in 2024. Well, this past season, Carolina totaled just 30 sacks.
Clearly, the pass rush is still an issue, and while the Panthers drafted a pair of edge rushers in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen last spring, they still need help.
Well, Joseph Person of The Athletic has found Carolina the assistance it needs in his initial Panthers mock draft, projecting them to land Miami Hurricanes defensive end Akheem Mesidor with the 19th overall pick.
"Rueben Bain is projected as a top-10 pick, but Mesidor might be the most polished pass rusher in the draft," Person wrote. "Granted, he’s had a lot of time for that polishing: The Ontario native turns 25 in April. [Dan] Morgan hasn’t selected a player older than 23 in his first two drafts. However, the 6-3, 270-pound, high-energy Mesidor will inject juice into the pass rush from Day 1 after leading the ACC with 12 1/2 sacks and finishing with 17 1/2 tackles for loss last season."
Akheem Mesidor. Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.Bain will almost certainly be a top-10 pick this April, so unless Carolina trades up, it won't have a chance of landing Mesidor's Miami teammate.
However, Mesidor would be a terrific consolation prize.
In addition to the numbers Person already mentioned, Mesidor also racked up 63 tackles and four forced fumbles in 2025, establishing himself as one of the most dominant pass rushers in the country.
Mesidor actually began his collegiate career at West Virginia in 2020 and spent two years with the Mountaineers before transferring to Miami in 2022.
While a foot injury kept him sidelined for most of 2023, Mesidor was a consistently solid producer throughout his NCAA tenure, totaling 208 tackles, 52.5 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks over the course of his stay.
Of course, 2025 represented Mesidor's breakout campaign and put him on the map as one of the top defensive line prospects in the 2026 draft class.
We'll see if the Panthers snatch Mesidor this April.
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