The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Miami’s Akheem Mesidor is the perfect fit for the Lions, but…
Mesidor is the perfect fit for the Lions, but is he too old for them in the first round?
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who we’ve covered so far:
The Positives of Akheem Mesidor
On paper, he has everything the Lions want. In 2025, he put up 67 pressures, 12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and an elite 88.3 run defense grade that was second in the nation. Like Howell, that’s pass rush for the fans and run-stopping for the Lions. It’s at a high level at both, and everyone gets what they want out of this.
Beyond that, he is a smart player who has demonstrated a deep understanding of the game, the willingness to take coaching, and the desire to improve. He fits the Lions culture as a guy who loves ball, wants to hit, and is all about the team. You see and hear the fit when you listen to him talk.
The Concerns
This is where it gets iffy for the Lions. He’s 25-years-old. He’s the oldest player in this draft, and when his rookie season is over, he’ll be 30 years old. That means if the Lions draft him in the first round, when he’s due for his fifth-year option, the Lions have to decide if they want to do that on a much older player.
Personally, I think that points to Mesidor being more ready to be a plug-and-play than his younger counterpoints, but it is a risk. Normally, the Lions don’t care about stuff like height, weight, speed, and age. They care about film. But if they’re truly in the middle of this youth movement, does drafting a 25-year-old with their first pick clash with that?
Where can the Lions draft Mesidor?
Right now, his average draft position is 33rd on our AtoZ Sports big board. He’s at the top of the second round. If the Lions were to trade down to the 20’s in the first round, that would be a good spot for him. But really, you have to hope that other teams see the age thing as a problem and he falls to 50 for the Lions. The latest we’ve tracked him at in mocks is 58th. It has a real possibility of happening. But we’ll see. I’d take him at 17 if I were Holmes because I think the fit is too good to pass.
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