EL SEGUNDO — Right place, right time.
When the Chargers drafted outside linebacker Akheem Mesidor in the first round of the NFL draft in April, they had depth in mind at a key position, they had the future in mind and they had visions of him one day stepping into the cleats worn so well for so long by likely Hall of Famer Khalil Mack.
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Now that spring practices are done and training camp is done and the season-opening game is nearly here, how has Mesidor fit into the Chargers’ defense alongside Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree in a very veteran and very accomplished group of pass rushers?
“Awesome, awesome,” Chargers defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary said.
Although there have been only glimpses of Mesidor during three preseason games and he was limited in several practices because of what he said Thursday was “swelling in his leg,” he was impressive during one-on-one battles with the Chargers’ top offensive linemen.
It certainly wasn’t difficult over the past few weeks envisioning how he might fit in with a three-man rotation of Mack and Tuipulotu. It figures to look something like what the Chargers had with Mack, Tuipuloto and Odafe Oweh last season and Mack, Tuipulotu and Joey Bosa in the previous two.
“He’s going to be versatile for us,” said O’Leary, who is in his first season replacing Jesse Minter, who took the Baltimore Ravens head coaching position after establishing the Chargers as one of the NFL’s top defenses during the past two seasons. “We’re moving him around.
“Hopefully, he can wreak havoc on the passers as we get into those passing situations and show his toughness, his grit, in the run-downs, too. It’ll be exciting to see how he develops through the year, too, especially being around ‘K-Mack’ and Tuli. It’s going to be fun to watch his growth.”
It wasn’t unusual to see three pass rushers on the field at one. It worked to great effect when Mack set a career high with 17 sacks in the 2023 season. Or when Tuipulotu recorded his career high with 13 sacks in 2025, one season after he had 8.5 sacks in Minter’s first season.
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It’s likely that little will change with O’Leary calling the defensive signals.
“There’s a world where that would happen, no doubt,” Leary said of playing Mack, Tuipulotu and Mesidor together in certain passing situations. “We’ve done that in the past, no secret. We’re going to move guys where they need to be effective. The exact schematics of that would play out.
“But, yeah, we have a plan.”
If he was excited about making his NFL debut Sept. 13 against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium, Mesidor wasn’t about to let it be known publicly. He wasn’t in a mood to share when he met with reporters briefly after the fourth and final practice of the Chargers’ Week 0.
“For me, personally, I’ve just been treating it like just another game,” said Mesidor, a 25-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario, who began his college career at West Virginia in 2020 before transferring to the University of Miami. “I really want to just be as prepared as I can and take advantage of every opportunity I get.”
Mesidor hasn’t been hesitant to ask questions of his teammates.
“Great, great vibes,” he said of speaking with Mack and Tuipulotu, in particular.
Mesidor certainly hasn’t looked out of place on the field.
Or anywhere else in the Chargers’ practice facility, according to O’Leary.
“(Mesidor’s extended college experience) helps with maturity,” O’Leary said. “The guys getting paid in college (through NIL) helps them with their professionalism. They know what it means to treat it like a job. So, when they get here, they’re just more ready. They’re more professional. They know the hours it takes, and Akheem has been a prime example of that.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Chargers continued to tweak their practice squad, signing outside linebacker Caleb Murphy and releasing outside linebacker Nadame Tucker. Murphy played six games last season with the Chargers and five with the New England Patriots. He also played with the Chargers during the 2024 season.
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