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Kevin Weidl had his choice of games to go to in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.

And while there were certainly plenty of juicy matchups for Weidl to see in person, the Chargers national scout circled a Monday night tilt featuring Notre Dame at Miami in a battle of Top 10 teams.

"When you're there, you feel the moment, feel the environment," Weidl said. "It was a big game, right? It's Catholics vs. Convicts and there was a who's who on that sideline. Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, they all came back.

"A lot of legends, so you could feel the vibe and intensity. And it was Monday night," Weidl added. "It was the last game of the weekend, and it was the only show in town."

The Hurricanes raced out to a double-digit lead only for the Fighting Irish to tie the game in the final minutes.

But when Miami kicked a go-ahead field goal with just over a minute left, the home team needed one final stop to secure the win.

And on a night where five future 2026 first-round draft picks took the field, it was Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor who took matters into his own hands.

"The thing that stood out to me was the way he closed out the game. And that's what you want, for guys to step up in the biggest moments of the game," Weidl said. "The NFL is always close, almost always comes down to the final drive.

"We want closers. That's what we talked about in the room. This guy has it," Weidl continued.

Weidl later added: "I flew down from Charlotte because I wanted to see him play live. A lot of good players on that field but he was one that stood out."

Mesidor did just that, sacking quarterback CJ Carr on Notre Dame's final possession as he ripped past the Notre Dame tackle.

A play later, Mesidor split a sack with teammate Rueben Bain, Jr. by rushing from the interior on the opposite side of the formation as the previous play.

Donovan Beidelschies, a Chargers area scout whose region includes Florida, was also in attendance for the highly anticipated Miami-Notre Dame game.

"He closed it out," Beidelschies said of Mesidor's performance in Miami's 27-24 win.

"A player who shines when the lights are brightest, that's a great trait to have," Beidelschies added. "It means you're talented and can handle pressure and make plays when it counts."

Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander added: "He's a closer. That was one of the most anticipated games of Week 1, so everyone was watching. For a guy to perform like that, you just know that he's up for the challenge and that it's not going to be too big for him."

Almost eight months after Mesidor's clutch performance, the Chargers were on the clock with Pick No. 22 in the 2026 NFL Draft.

When the edge rusher didn't get picked in the mid-teens, the Bolts draft room perked up a bit.

That meant it was a no brainer for the Chargers to draft Mesidor when they were on the clock.

"Really excited to get the chance to add a talented pass rushed in Akheem," said Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz. "A guy, honestly, we didn't think would make it to us. Just fired up."

Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh added: "He's a man. He's polished and ready to roll."

From West Virginia to Miami

Mike Jasinski is a national scout for the Chargers after previously serving as an area scout.

Jasinski was the area scout in Texas and helped the Bolts draft Quentin Johnston back in 2023. But he also scouted the Northeast in 2020 and 2021 and began hearing about this young defensive lineman at West Virginia.

Mesidor grew up in Ottawa, Canada and began playing football at age 8 with the North Gloucester Giants. He played along the offensive line in his first year but later moved to the defensive line while also playing linebacker, quarterback and running back.

He played football at multiple schools to try and maximize his exposure, including a season at Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada, before transferring to Clearwater Academy International in Florida in 2019.

A former three-star recruit, Mesidor landed in Morgantown, West Virginia and played 23 games for the Mountaineers while racking up 9.5 sacks over two seasons.

While Jasinski was generally focused on more draft-eligible players, he couldn't help but notice Mesidor at practice or during games. Mesidor's time with West Virginia included a Freshman All-America honor in 2020.

"Man, this young kid — No. 90. — is really good," Jasinski recalled. "I asked their pro liaison about him and was told that he was only a freshman but had looked good. That was way back when and then he transferred to Miami."

Wanting to further his development, Mesidor entered the transfer portal and headed to Miami as an ascending defensive lineman.

He earned Honorable Mention All-ACC accolades in 2022 after a 7.0-sack campaign but was limited to three games the following season due to injuries.

Mesidor responded with 5.5 sacks as an interior rusher in 2024 to once again garner Honorable Mention All-ACC honors.

After multiple seasons at Miami, Mesidor had caught the eye of Beidelschies, who first studied him in the summer of 2023.

"OK, let me put this guy on the radar," Beidelschies noted. "You put a little highlight or asterisk next to a guy in case he decides to come out or has an amazing year in 2024."

But with Mesidor set to enter his final season at Miami in 2025, the Hurricanes unlocked his full potential by moving him outside as an edge rusher. Miami's defensive ends coach is Jason Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer with 139.5 career NFL sacks.

"He benefitted greatly from learning from a Hall of Famer in Jason Taylor," Alexander said.

Mesidor helped make the transition by taking up swimming, an activity he joked burns "hella calories." All in all, Mesidor went from roughly 285 pounds to 265, making him a leaner and more agile to deal primarily with offensive tackles.

"It's one of the most impressive transitions I've seen," said Chargers outside linebackers coach Dylan Roney. "It's never easy to play a new position, and to play it as dominantly as he did was so impressive.

"I think the big thing for him was cutting some weight, getting to a weight he felt his best at in terms of movement ability," Roney continued. "From there, he'd already developed the hands, the strike, technique.

"Then just difference of rushing the edge, there's a little more space there," Roney added. "But when you move him back inside, it's so easy for him because he's done it so much."

As Miami's 2025 season began, the Hurricanes had aspirations of a deep playoff run led by Bain, who ended up being the 15^th overall pick to the Buccaneers.

But Mesidor was a key catalyst, too, as he would soon produce a dominant senior season.

A relentless motor

Week 1 against Notre Dame wasn't Mesidor's only statement game of the 2025 campaign.

Through the Miami's first 11 games, Mesidor tallied 7.0 sacks 12.0 tackles for loss. The Hurricanes went 9-2 and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff.

As Miami prepared for a Round 1 game at Texas A&M on December 20, the Chargers were slated to play the Cowboys on the road the following day.

The Bolts Week 16 game in Dallas was the annual scouts' trip, meaning Jasinski and others headed to the Lone Star State.

Jasinski had already studied Texas A&M's offensive line up close and had come away impressed. It was for good reason, too, as the Aggies had 10 players get drafted, including four across their stout offensive line.

Jasinski watched the Miami-Texas A&M game live on the flight to Dallas as Mesidor tallied 1.5 sacks in an upset win. And when Jasinski flew home to Southern California, the film from that game was already loaded into the system, meaning he watched Mesidor's performance a second time.

"I watched him and was like, 'Damn, this guy is really good,'" Jasinski said. "A&M ended up having four linemen drafted, so it was kind of an eye-opening experience because I was familiar with the A&M offensive line being really good. That really opened my eyes with his skill level.

"It seemed like play-in and play-out that he was just having an effect on the quarterback in some way," Jasinski added. "And he could do it in a multitude of ways. He just felt like a seasoned veteran and that really stood out to me when watching him."

Mesidor's breakout season wasn't over yet.

He then added 2.0 sacks in a quarterfinal win over Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl before ending his season with a pair of sacks on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as Miami lost 27-21 in the National Championship.

"He was on a heater all year and played some of his best ball down the stretch in the playoffs," Hortiz said.

Mesidor's incredible season included 12.5 sacks, good for the second-most in the country, while his 18.0 tackles for loss were tied for fourth most.

"You just keep checking off boxes and superlatives next to a guy's name," Beidelschies said. "He had a whole line of checkmarks and plus signs next to his evaluation. That tells you that he's a pretty good player."

Chargers.com talked to more than a half-dozen people inside the Bolts front office about Mesidor and how he ended up becoming a first-round pick.

When asked what immediately stood out about Mesidor's game, everyone gave their version of a similar answer.

Hortiz raved his "relentless motor" while Weidl mentioned "how hard he plays."

Roney did, too.

"His No. 1 thing? I would say motor," Roney said. "Always around the ball, always attacking the ball."

Beidelschies and Alexander also went on and on about Mesidor's play style.

"It's his motor and his effort. He's the same versus the run or the pass. He's the same from the beginning of the game to the end of the game," Beidelschies said. "All great pass rushers that I've evaluated over the years are relentless. They create things, they make it happen with their effort. And he has that."

Alexander added: "He played a ton of snaps. It felt like he was never off the field. But I never saw him take a second off or take a play off or look like he was winded. It was a heavy workload so that was a credit to his conditioning, his want-to, his overall grit. He was never coasting. He was the same player in the first quarter as the third quarter and then to close it out."

Hmmm. That sounds exactly like a player Harbaugh would want on his team, no?

"Akheem is a worker and he's going to come right in and fit into our culture, our team. Good person, good player," Harbaugh said. "A guy that's not afraid to put in the work. He has proven that through his college journey and is going to fit well."

Teaming up with Tuli & Khalil

In the immediate aftermath of the Chargers drafting Mesidor, Harbaugh and Roney couldn't help but daydream.

Adding Mesidor to a group that already includes Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu?

"Just thinking of, not even pairing, but tripling him with K-Mack and Tuli," Harbaugh said. "That's fire, as the young people would say."

Roney added: "Just excitement. My mind just started going immediately to all the ways we can use him, all the things it opens up for us as a defense, having more edge rushers that are great pass rushers. Just gives us more opportunities to put them in different positions. My mind immediately went to scheme and all the fun ways we'll be able to use these guys."

In the two years that Harbaugh has been with the Chargers, the Bolts defense has generally tried to roll out a trio of pass rushers to affect quarterbacks.

We saw that in the second half of last season as Mack, Tuipulotu and Odafe Oweh constantly harassed opposing offenses.

The expectation is that trend will continue in 2026 as the Chargers transition under new Defensive Coordinator Chris O’Leary.

"His pass rush technique," O'Leary said about what stands out about Mesidor. "You talk about how he uses his hands, the leverage he plays with, how he attacks different tackles in different ways, his timing, his get-off, how he can move into the interior in his pass rush.

"For me, that's what stands out. He's an exceptional pass rusher," O'Leary added. "We'll try to continue to develop that and continue to develop the other areas of his game as well."

Roney said there are "endless opportunities" for what the trio of Mack, Tuipulotu and Mesidor could look like.

"Without getting too much into scheme," Roney added with a smile.

But when you have three pass rushers on the field, someone has to kick inside.

Mesidor's multiple seasons playing at 3-technique along the interior — Jasinski called him a "twitched up D-tackle" — should give the Chargers defensive coaching staff plenty of options on passing downs.

"You want speed on the field, especially the way the game is changing. It's all about evolving and adapting," Roney said. "The game is getting faster, pass rush is getting more important in terms of getting to the quarterback faster cause the ball is getting out quicker.

"How do you do that? You get more speed on the field. Guys like Mesidor, Tuli, you don't get afraid to bump them inside," Roney added. "You get more speed off the edges. I see us using that [third] edge probably even more than we did last year. A lot of great opportunities."

Mesidor won't just be a pass-rush specialist, however, as the Chargers praised his run defense, too.

"Really polished. His instincts and block recognition against the run stood out. He can set the edge against the run," Weidl said. "Maybe not a hammer, but he's a physical run stopper. He's firm on the edge and also has the effort to chase and pursue."

Roney added: "He's very powerful, got a great strike and quick hands. I think there are some things to maybe clean up in terms of his eyes and progression from his man to the ball carrier, but his technique is further along than most college guys coming out. And he's got the power and a serious willingness for contact and physicality."

Roney said he doesn't expect Mesidor to take long to catch on after spending time with Mack and Tuipulotu.

"Being around Tuli, being around Khalil … he won't even need me in the room," Roney joked with a laugh. "Just let Khalil talk and he'll be a better run defender in a week."

The perfect fit

In the short term, the Chargers have visions of teaming Mesidor up with Mack and Tuipulotu.

That could be in a rotation or when the three are all on the field together at the same time.

But if we take a 30,000-foot view of the roster, Mack is entering his age 35 season and has contemplated retirement the past two offseasons. Bud Dupree, who is 33, is slated to be a free agent next offseason.

Simply put, the duo of Tuipulotu — who is eligible for an extension — and Mesidor might be the future of the Chargers pass rush.

The Bolts clearly believe the 25-year-old Mesidor is the right player and person to potentially fill that role.

"We feel like we're getting this guy who is ready to roll. He feels like a veteran-type player," Jasinski said. "It was a really strong edge class, but I don't know if any of them have as deep of a bag of rush moves as he has.

"Hopefully he can come in and hit the floor running because he's coming into a great room," Jasinski added. "Tuli and Khalil are great players but also just good dudes and awesome leaders."

Hortiz said: "He got an education in football at Miami and it's paid off. You watch the film and he's a great player who can help us. Age is just a number."

Alexander offered the final word on the Chargers 2026 first-round draft pick.

"You can't question his production. You can't question his effort. You can't question his desire. You can't question his knack for showing up in big games," Alexander said. "He just checked a lot of boxes. That, combined with the confidence we have in our staff and our coaches, it was a great feeling when a plan like that comes together."

He later added: "You can never have enough edges. We look at edge as a premium position … that was something that really stood out for us. He'll have some development, but we think he's going to help us right away. At that spot [No. 22], we were looking for impact and fit. He gave us both."