Akheem Mesidor just accomplished something no one from Ottawa has ever done before.
No one.
On April 23, surrounded by family and friends, the University of Miami edge rusher got the call he had been waiting his entire life for. Mesidor was selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, becoming the first player in Ottawa football history to reach that milestone.
At his draft day party in Ottawa, Mesidor was front and centre, seated beside his mom, Carole, and everyone was mesmerized by the TV coverage. 21 teams had already made their selections and the Los Angeles Chargers were on the clock.
When Mesidor’s phone rang, the room went silent.
Sure enough, the call was from the Chargers’ war room. On the line was Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz, head coach Jim Harbaugh, and owner John Spanos, who passed the phone around to congratulate him. When Harbaugh grabbed it, he identified himself and then hollered two simple words at his newest player.
“LET’S GO!” Harbaugh yelled with a smile.
During the brief chat with his three new bosses, Mesidor’s mom, Carole, was seated beside him excitedly whispering “Is that the call? Is that the call? I think it’s the call.”
Mesidor set down the phone and paused, rubbing his face and reflecting on the moment. His biggest fans were still breathlessly waiting to officially get the news.
Victor Tedondo, his former coach from Ottawa’s Gridiron Academy couldn’t stand the suspense and asked him, “Are you a Charger?”
As Mesidor nodded, Tedondo quickly slipped his prize pupil a Chargers ball cap and his draft party officially kicked into high gear on a night he’ll never forget.
“I’m going to remember all my friends being there,” Mesidor told Faces. “My friends, family, the young kids from Gridiron Academy and the North Gloucester Giants, and everybody’s faces, happy and taking pictures.”
Back at the Chargers’ war room, the celebration was just as big. After they set down the phone, the entire room of scouts, coaches
and executives broke into applause with fist bumps, hand shakes and hugs, as if they’d won a playoff game.
And there’s good reason for excitement.
In his final year of school at Miami, he started 15 games and registered 63 tackles with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Mesidor also helped lead Miami to the National Championship game where he had three tackles and two sacks in a heartbreaking 27-21 loss to Indiana.
In this Q and A with Faces, shortly after the NFL Draft, Mesidor was a happy young man.
How does it feel to be a first round NFL Draft pick and joining the LA Chargers?
I feel great. It’s an awesome opportunity. I can’t wait to get out to LA, live there, compete my butt off, produce, and make some plays.
What did it mean to you to realize the dream you’ve been chasing for so long?
Very excited. All the hard work that I’ve put in throughout years and years and years, a decade plus of training and preparing for this moment, and it finally came to life.
Who were you most excited to share the moment with?
I was excited to share the moment with my mom. It was one of the most important days for her. She’s sacrificed a lot to put me in this situation. So the day was really about her.
Ottawa has become a football hotbed. What does it mean to now be one of the players to lead the new wave?
It’s awesome because I remember being a young kid, 10 years old, 11 years old, playing for the Giants. I looked up to the older guys, and saw them go off and do great things. And now that I’m doing the same thing for the younger generation, that means the world.
Do you feel like younger players back home in Ottawa are starting to look at your path as something that they can follow?
100 percent. And I try to go see as many players as I can. I go to different schools, different football teams. I talk to the players just so they can see me, hear from my mouth, hear my words, understand my story, and just know that no matter your circumstances, you can follow my footsteps and you’ll be better than me.
Can you tell us more about your football roots in Ottawa and the team you played for?
I played for eight years with the North Gloucester Giants. Gridiron Academy is really what helped me develop the most in terms of the person I am today.
How are you handling all the new attention and expectations that comes with being a first round pick?
I think I’m handling it fine. I really ignore most of it because I still remember last year or the beginning of this year, nobody wanted to talk to me. I was really just, I was a nobody in a lot of people’s eyes. So I keep that same energy.
I know that if you’re not doing well, you’ll be forgotten. And if you do well, you’ll get a lot of love. So a lot of it might not be as genuine as people think it is, but I just keep my circle small and trust in the people I have in my corner.
What’s it like to make it to the National Championship Game?
Making it to the National Championship Game was truly a blessing, mainly because of, you know, how the program was when I first got there in 2022. We were a losing team, so to be able to be a part of growing that program and flipping it back around to where we’re national championship contenders… it truly meant the world and I’ll never forget it.
Until the interception at the end, you guys had enough time to go down and win the game. What was the excitement on this sideline like?
There was no excitement. We were all nervous, stressed. You know, that’s what comes with the game of football when the game is on the line. We couldn’t get it done, but still, it was an unforgettable season and an amazing game.
How long did it take to get over that game?
It didn’t take long. It probably took a few days, maximum a week. In my head, we weren’t even supposed to be there. Like, I let everybody count us out. So the fact that we got there and we were able to compete, that’s what the most important thing was.
Last time we connected for a Faces article, you said you hadn’t shown your true self on tape. Do you feel like you have done that now?
I feel like I’ve shown people what I’m capable of, but a complete full season, my true self, I think the best is yet to come.
After everything you went through, the injuries, how did that experience change you?
I’m very grateful, very grateful for the ability to play this game. It humbled me. But the biggest thing is it helped me realize that this game can be taken from you in an instant. So you’ve got to cherish the moments that you have, not only during the games, but during practice, training, and falling in love with the process.
You put up 12.5 sacks, forced four fumbles last season and made it to the title game.
Did you surpass your expectations?
No, I actually met my expectations. Before the season, I told myself I wanted to get 12.5 sacks and that’s exactly what I did. I’m actually disappointed in the ones that I missed. I could have finished with 15, 16, but stuff happens and you just miss sacks sometimes. But I matched my expectations.
What kind of player do you believe you can be in the NFL?
I think I can be a productive player and end up being an elite player. I want to produce, I want to get on a team, get sacks, help my team win. But I think I can become an elite NFL prospect.
Akheem Mesidor’s historic NFL Draft Day call came with two simple words: “Let’s go!” The perfect way to begin something great.
By Steve Warne | Photography by Nicolai Gregory
