Bears 2026 Draft Profile: Why Miami's Akheem Mesidor fits perfectly for Bears

Outside the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, the rest of the NFL has already begun the moving-on process for the 2025 NFL season, including the Chicago Bears. 

With that comes free agency and the NFL Draft. Both will have a heavy influence on which teams position themselves to make a deep playoff run next season. 

The 2026 NFL Draft will provide Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson to continue building the team’s roster. How aggressively Chicago is in free agency will impact how the team moves in the draft. 

For this weekly installment, we will look at draft prospects that make sense for the Bears. With the No. 25 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select EDGE Akheem Mesidor. 

Akheem Mesidor's scouting report for Bears

Snapshot:

School: University of Miami

Measurables: 6-foot-3, 265 pounds

Projected Draft Range: Round 1 or 2

Stats (Pro Football Focus)

• 2025: 67 Total QB Pressures, 13 Sacks, 29 Tackles, 3 Forced Fumbles, 827 Total Defensive Snaps
• 2024: 25 Total QB Pressures, 4 Sacks, 17 Tackles, 520 Total Defensive Snaps 
• 2023: 1 Total QB Pressure, 1 Sack, 3 Tackles, 44 Total Defensive Snaps (Foot injury limited him to just two games)
• 2022: 28 Total QB Pressures, 8 Sacks, 23 Tackles, 396 Total Defensive Snaps
• 2021: 33 Total QB Pressures, 5 Sacks, 27 Tackles, 608 Total Defensive Snaps
• 2020: 13 Total QB Pressures, 5 Sacks, 18 Tackles, 243 Total Defensive Snaps

Scouting Report 

Games Watched: 2025 Week 3 vs. USF, 2025 Week 4 vs. Florida

Strengths:

Plays with an extremely high motor. It’s rare to see Mesidor take snaps off, as he is consistently running towards ball carriers regardless of where they are on the football field. 

Rushes with power and likes to utilize the bull rush on opposing tackles. He also has quickness to his game and will avoid blocks by using a Euro step or a swim move. Miami even kicked him inside and his quickness off the ball would give guards trouble. 

There were times when he was the decoy, drawing opposing blockers, which freed up his teammates to get after the quarterback. As a run defender, Mesidor has the strength to bench press opposing offensive linemen and uses quick read and react skills to get in on tackles. Good hand usage consistently shows up on tape. 

Weaknesses:

Let’s start with Mesidor’s age. He will be 25 on April 5, which could impact his draft range and whether some teams will draft him on Day 1. 

He also had a significant foot injury in 2023 that limited him to just two games, but he’s played 1,347 snaps over the past two seasons at Miami. 

At times, he will lose ball carriers while engaging with blocks, which will take him out of plays. Motions and shifts in the backfield made him hesitant on certain reps.

At 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, Mesidor wouldn’t be viewed as the “ideal” height for a defensive end in Dennis Allen’s defense, but his frame didn’t impact the way he played.  

Bears Fit

A major emphasis for the 2026 season should be finding players who specialize in pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run. Mesidor checks those boxes, and despite being an older prospect, he profiles as someone who can contribute on Day 1.

Read more: These 4 free agents will cure Bears' biggest headache on 2026 roster

If other teams want to bypass him early in Round 1 because he is older, then Allen’s defense would benefit from adding a productive defensive lineman with the No. 25 overall pick.