July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 3 DL Akheem Mesidor

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster, and today we’re at No. 3, DL Akheem Mesidor.

THE BIG PICTURE

Mesidor arrived from West Virginia prior to last season and then had a strong season as an All-ACC honorable mention pick with 38 tackles, 10.5 TFL and a tea-high seven sacks along with four pass breakups. He worked in at defensive tackle for 59 of his 396 reps, so he has that versatility working for him as well – given the DT depth on the team don’t be surprised if he lines up there a bit more this season. The new aggressive defensive system under Lance Guidry also suits Mesidor well, and he should be in line for a big season. He and Leonard Taylor will get the brunt of the attention up front from offensive coordinators, since the rest of the line has some question marks (Nyjalik Kelly and Jahfari Harvey are expected to battle for the other end spot with Purdue transfer Branson Deen the frontrunner at the other tackle spot). Miami’s defensive line was good, not great a year ago, and lost starting DT Darrell Jackson and part-time starting DE Mitchell Agude. So guys like Mesidor and Taylor need to step up even more to make this one of the ACC’s top units.

THE ANALYSIS

Mesidor has the size, relative quickness and strength to succeed wherever he is lined up along the DL. Last year Mesidor was a terror off the edge in his first season at Miami, putting up his seven sacks despite missing a game with injury. Prior to UM he was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick in 2021 at West Virginia with 38 tackles, 8 TFL and 4.5 sacks playing mainly DT. And he earned True Freshman All-America First Team honors in 2020 (10 games, 1 start, 32 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 5 sacks). Mesidor’s Pro Football Focus grades bear out his high level of play – he graded out at an elite 87.1 percent last season (86.5 run defense, 75.9 tackling, 80.6 pass rush). PFF noted him with 16 QB hurries. He previously graded out at 69.4 percent in 2021 (24 QB hurries) and 71.2 percent in 2020 (7 QB hurries). He’s also graded out at 75.6 percent as a pass rusher in 2021 and 71.5 in 2020 (70 is considered a good grade). He’s an outstanding talent that opponents will need to game plan for to try and slow him down.

THE PROJECTION

Probably the only thing that can hold Mesidor back at this point is injury, and he was banged up and missed a game last year and was limited in the spring. Mesidor also played in 396 of the team’s 786 defensive reps, or 50.4 percent. Under new coordinator Lance Guidry we anticipate the heavy rotation used by Kevin Steele will be a thing of the past. And Mesidor’s stats will likely reflect that. He’s a guy who could approach or even surpass 10 sacks on the season. One area in which he can show some improvement is patience in the run game, and Miami struggled stopping backs last season (ranking No. 54 in the nation in run defense).

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

Mesidor is the nation’s No. 5 returning edge rusher based on grades at his aforementioned 87.1 percent. That’s behind Marshall’s Owen Porter (88.1), UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (88.4), Washington’s Bralen Trice (88.5) and Penn State’s Chop Robinson (90.6). Mesidor is a consistent defender with a relentless motor, and NFLDraftBuzz.com notes that “his spin move is already NFL-caliber … Mesidor has the strong core and powerful hands to shed blockers, and he shows excellent instincts with the ability to quickly locate the ball.” You add it all up and his results and skills have him in line to be one of the ACC’s most fearsome defenders in 2023. He just needs to show this fall that he’s fully healthy and understands the intricacies of Lance Guidry’s defense.

THE QUOTE

“I just want to be a dominant player on the field and also help everybody around me. I want to help our defense excel, help our team win.” –Akheem Mesidor

The post July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 3 DL Akheem Mesidor appeared first on On3.