La Chargers Nfl Draft Grades: How Did Chargers Do In First Round?

The Los Angeles Chargers had just one pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and decided to spend that on the defensive side of the ball.

Akheem Mesidor, the edge rusher from Miami, will have the opportunity to learn among a defensive unit led by Khalil Mack. At the age of 25 years old, he could be viewed as a plug-and-play option for the Bolts this season.

Mesidor finished his college career with 35.5 total sacks, including 12.5 in 2025. He spent two years at West Virginia before transferring to Miami for the last four years of his career.

His 35.5 total sacks tie him for third, along with Central Florida's Bruce Miller (2007-10) and Washington's Hau'oli Kikaha (2010-14), among the NCAA career sack leaders.

Only Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson (45 sacks, 2015-18) and Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (43.5 sacks, 2014-17) had more.

Los Angeles Chargers' first-round draft grade

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami (Fla.)

Grade: B

"Looks like a Jim Harbaugh player. Plays like a Jim Harbaugh player. And now, he is a Jim Harbaugh player. The 25-year-old Mesidor touted himself as a 'seasoned rookie' as he prepared to enter the league as an older and more experienced entity than his peers. Harbaugh, however, surely relished the non-stop motor Mesidor deployed to chase down opposing quarterbacks.

"The Bolts' pass rush worked best when it had three legitimate threats to rotate at edge, and Mesidor can round out that group while serving as the long-term successor to Khalil Mack." – Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chargers NFL draft grades for first round pick Akheem Mesidor