The most interesting prospect for the 49ers in the 2026 NFL draft
The San Francisco 49ers may have a high-quality prospect fall to them in the first round, but it's not a slam dunk they pick him.
A new mock draft has the San Francisco 49ers selecting perhaps the most interesting player for them in the 2026 NFL draft—University of Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor. 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows chose Mesidor in a beat writer mock draft from the Athletic. It's easy to look at some of the surface-level numbers and see why it's an easy fit for a team desperately in need of a pass rusher.
Some of the underlying numbers make it more of a question mark. Mesidor was sensational for the national champion runner up Miami Hurricanes last season. He posted a whopping 12.
5 sacks and 17. 5 tackles for loss in 15 games. He also racked up four forced fumbles.
Then he went to the combine and measured in at a stout 6-3, 259 pounds with 32 1/8-inch arms. Those aren't prototypical edge defender measurements, but they check the boxes for a productive defensive end late in the first round. The big question that lingers with Mesidor is his age.