Where is Akheem Mesidor? Chargers Need Risky Draft Pick vs. Raiders

The Chargers' offseason plan means they need a big impact from their first-round pick.

Akheem Mesidor | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The poor state of the Los Angeles Chargers offensive line going into Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders commands the big attention right now. So do the surprising struggles for the hyped Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel duo. 

That’s a ripple effect of how Joe Hortiz, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers attacked the overall offseason while trying to rebuild the trenches in front of Herbert. 

Also a reflection of the offseason? A pass-rush that needs to start seeing some big returns from first-round pick Akheem Mesidor. 

Quietly, Mesidor was a roll of the dice in a big way. Not because he was a risky prospect, per se, but because of what the Chargers intended to ask of him right away. 

So far, the verdict is murky. 

Akheem Mesidor Week 2 outlook

Akheem Mesidor | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chargers needed an instant impact from Mesidor 

It’s a trap of the franchise’s own design. After admitting last year that they needed to beef up the pass-rushing rotation, the Chargers traded for Odafe Oweh. He broke out in the system and looked like a long-term piece of the future next to Tuli Tuipulotu. 

Despite this, Hortiz and the Chargers didn’t want to pay market rate in free agency to keep him. Instead, they drafted Mesidor, an “older” rookie, which is supposed to mean he’s more “pro ready” than "developmental" prospects. Fair enough idea.

In Week 1, Mesidor created one pressure on 22 pass-rushing snaps on a day the Chargers generated just eight total pressures in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. 

Obviously, the sample size is very small here. New coordinator Chris O’Leary deserves some time to cook. And Mesidor, some time to develop. 

But the Chargers sold the Mesidor pick as an Odafe-type replacement in the rotation. It was all part of the big plan to help Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack. A loss to the Cardinals and Jacoby Brissett was a pretty big red mark against the expectations. 

Against the Raiders, on the same field as Mack and Maxx Crosby, the Chargers really need some big moments from Mesidor to ease pressure on the rest of the defense. If that happens, there’s a much better chance the Chargers avoid an 0-2 hole. 

If not, the deserved questions about the approach to Odafe and the first round will only increase.

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