What We Learned during Wednesday’s activities in Indianapolis
6) Mesidor sees superior age as a function, not a bug. There’s loads to love about Akheem Mesidora relentless move rusher who earned first-team All-ACC honors this previous season with 12.5 sacks, together with 5.5 in Miami’s four-game College Football Playoff run. Ace Bucky Brooks’ No. 3 edge defender and Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 20 overall prospectMesidor is extensively projected to be a first-round decide. But one potential knock on his draft profile is the superior age. Having performed school soccer for six years — two at West Virginia, adopted by 4 with the Hurricanes — Mesidor turns 25 on April 5, making him one of many older gamers in this draft class. He would not see this as a detrimental, although.
“You can call me a seasoned rookie,” Mesidor mentioned on Wednesday in Indianapolis. “I think I’m coming in more mature with a different approach, different mentality than a lot of younger guys. I think my age could be a plus“
To his level, Mesidor attracts regular reward for the maturity of his recreation, which mixes a continuous motor (SEE: final season’s spectacular complete of 63 tackles, together with 17.5 for losses) with a deep bag of pass-rushing strikes (tied for fourth in the FBS with 67 pressures, per Pro Football Focus). A local of Ottawa, Canada, the 6-3, 265-pounder believes the extended voyage really refined his ability set, which can permit him to hit the bottom working in the NFL.
“Everybody has their own path, everybody has their own timeline — mine just happened to be six years in college,” Mesidor mentioned. “And I was able to continue to learn and grow with these amazing people around me who helped me become the person that I am right now.”
One of these folks has been Jason Taylor, Miami’s defensive position coach for the previous three seasons. A Pro Football Hall of Famer with the seventh-most sacks in NFL historical past (139.5), Taylor has been a useful useful resource for Mesidor.
“I’m always in his office, always in the facility. JT has a couch right there — I’m always laying on it, we’re always talking or watching film,” Mesidor mentioned. “He’s been a tremendous help and like a mentor to me throughout this whole process.”
A product of Akron, Taylor wasn’t drafted till halfway by the third spherical (No. 73 total) again in 1997. Mesidor seems set to come back off the board a lot earlier in a pair months. But that is additionally a testomony to Taylor’s guardianship.
“He was tremendous in the league, a legend,” Mesidor mentioned. “And he taught me how to be a professional, how to approach the game, how to approach the way you eat, sleep, train, all these different things.”
