Impact Analysis: DL Akheem Mesidor commits to Miami

Impact Analysis: DL Akheem Mesidor commits to Miami

DMoney
DMoney
Once it went public that Akheem Mesidor committed to Miami, I went back and watched three games from last year (Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Maryland) and the Ok State game from his freshman year.

The big takeaway- Mesidor is the best player on our defense from Day 1. That doesn’t mean he’s the most talented, or that he will be the best by the end of the season. It would be ideal if a guy like Leonard Taylor or one of the safeties made the leap. But Mesidor’s film in 2020-2021 is better than anything we’ve seen from our current roster. Just watch him against OU (link below). At times, he looked like the best player on the field.

Two things jump out about Mesidor’s game right away: instincts and motor. He played NT last year and DE as a freshman, but his high school background as a LB shows on the field. He is hyperaware of the ball, whether he’s sniffing out screens, getting off blocks or retracing to the QB. While he can get skinny and penetrate upfield, he is not as reckless as we’ve seen the past couple years and rarely takes himself out of play. He’s also an excellent tackler.

The motor works with the instincts. There are numerous examples on film of him chasing 10-20 yards downfield and making form tackles. Check out the first play of the Maryland game (below) for an example. His motor runs hot throughout the entire game and he has excellent conditioning for a DL. He never stops working until the whistle blows.

Physically, he has outstanding bend, change of direction and coordination. He is rarely on the floor, which speaks to his balance. The big negative is the tweener body at 6’2, 270. He lacks the stout, explosive power of an elite defensive tackle and the range and speed of a top EDGE. But he is not just an overachiever. His flexibility and movement skills will give a chance to play on Sundays.

As a pass rusher, he thrives off second effort. His rush never stops until the whistle blows, and his unique bend and change of direction allows him to make sudden and sharp redirect moves to the QB. He has strong hands and will sequence a wide variety of moves until the play is over. He’s also coordinated enough to spin back into the play without losing control or balance. This ****nal made him one of the most productive pass-rushing DTs in the country last year.

His role with Miami is, first and foremost, as a tone setter. Leonard Taylor and Jared Harrison-Hunte have more size and talent, but Mesidor is the better player right now. He can push them to greatness with his motor and playmaking. His versatility gives you a lot of options on the field. The best fit may be similar to Marlon Davidson at Auburn under Coach Steele. We are a bigger team with him on the edge and a better pass rushing team with him inside. Expect him to move around.

Overall, this is a true impact player and the biggest addition in the Portal thus far. We badly needed playmakers in the front seven and that is what Mesidor brings.

He is #90 in the clips below:





 

Comments (153)

Great analysis, @DMoney , I'm happy to get a guy with this versatility and football IQ who also fits Mario's "body type" for the future.

I assume he's enrolling for May, that will give him a couple of months to potentially add a bit of weight before the season starts. Feld is a miracle worker.
 
I’m a Neal Brown fan so I would try and catch WVU games whenever I could just to monitor his progress there

I really can’t add much to this post other than “yup”

He created a lot of havoc from the interior even being undersized because of what you highlighted D: his instincts. He just seemed to consistently be in the right place at the right time and he didn’t seem to get washed out much. Kind of the opposite of where Taylor is now. Taylor shows flashes of why he can be great, but then reverts back.

This kid instantly becomes our most valuable player on the DL right now because he can also be moved around when needed. He was fantastic as a freshman at DE

But he’s also not some gray beard body that we are plugging in there. He still has a lot of room to get better as he gets bigger I think
 
Man I’m hyped. This dude should terrorize coastal offensive lines. He’s got a unique skill set and has produced in big games.

Still think we need 1 DE, 1 LB and maybe 1 true nose tackle. But we are getting close to where we need to be.
 
Disruption is production.

This dude just disrupts plays. He's all over. You can see him in some of his film him just chasing down screens, and backside hustle on misdirections, and just keeping the QB moving and getting them uncomfortable.

He's also an Academic All-American for the past two years...this is the type of guy that will come down here and be a leader on and off the field for this defense, especially in the iDL/EDGE room. His work on the field and off will help guys like Leonard Taylor and JHH get to that next level, IMO.

Big time get, not much else needs to be said.

I will disagree with DMoney...you'd be hard pressed to convince me that Leonard Taylor isn't the most talented and is the best player on the DL any time he's in...even if he doesn't know what he's doing all of the time and is a bull in a china shop he's still productive. If he has some standards like Mesidor on the line that just reign him in and set a standard and he takes to the coaching, Taylor is just a monster, IMO. Way too talented to keep off the field. I am hoping for a massive Gerald McCoy type jump to Year 2 from him and having linemates like Mesidor and the vets like Moultrie, Agunde, and definitely not Scott Patchan facilitate that.

Leonard Taylor had 21 tackles, 8.5 for a loss (IN ONLY 6 GAMES!!!) and 2 sacks.
Gerald McCoy had 19 tackles, 6.5 for a loss and 2 sacks in his freshman year as the Big XII Defensive Freshman of the Year

The next year McCoy was 30 tackles, 11 for a loss, and 6.5 sacks and was First Team All-Big XII and First Team ALL AMERICAN.
 
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Disruption is production.

This dude just disrupts plays. He's all over. You can see him in some of his film him just chasing down screens, and backside hustle on misdirections, and just keeping the QB moving and getting them uncomfortable.

He's also an Academic All-American for the past two years...this is the type of guy that will come down here and be a leader on and off the field for this defense, especially in the iDL/EDGE room. His work on the field and off will help guys like Leonard Taylor and JHH get to that next level, IMO.

Big time get, not much else needs to be said.

I will disagree with DMoney...you'd be hard pressed to convince me that Leonard Taylor isn't the most talented...even if he doesn't know what he's doing all of the time and is a bull in a china shop and is still productive. If he has some standards like Mesidor on the line that just reign him in and set a standard and he takes to the coaching, Taylor is just a monster, IMO. Way too talented to keep off the field. I am hoping for a massive Gerald McCoy type jump to Year 2 from him and having linemates like Mesidor and the vets like Moultrie, Agunde, and definitely not Scott Patchan facilitate that.
I agree with you on Taylor’s ability. We need him to take his seat at the head of the table. He’s the most talented guy by far. But he’s not there yet. Too inconsistent. Mesidor can push him.
 
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This is the type of guy that will make some guys in that DL room sit up in their seat. Most of the time transfers dont intimidate current players but this guy will absolutely do that because someone absolutely knows that they are getting their spot taken if they dont bring it throughout the Summer and Fall ball. Agunde and Mesidor didnt come here to backup anyone. For that alone, I am excited about this acquisition.
 
Disruption is production.

This dude just disrupts plays. He's all over. You can see him in some of his film him just chasing down screens, and backside hustle on misdirections, and just keeping the QB moving and getting them uncomfortable.

He's also an Academic All-American for the past two years...this is the type of guy that will come down here and be a leader on and off the field for this defense, especially in the iDL/EDGE room. His work on the field and off will help guys like Leonard Taylor and JHH get to that next level, IMO.

Big time get, not much else needs to be said.

I will disagree with DMoney...you'd be hard pressed to convince me that Leonard Taylor isn't the most talented and is the best player on the DL any time he's in...even if he doesn't know what he's doing all of the time and is a bull in a china shop he's still productive. If he has some standards like Mesidor on the line that just reign him in and set a standard and he takes to the coaching, Taylor is just a monster, IMO. Way too talented to keep off the field. I am hoping for a massive Gerald McCoy type jump to Year 2 from him and having linemates like Mesidor and the vets like Moultrie, Agunde, and definitely not Scott Patchan facilitate that.

Leonard Taylor had 21 tackles, 8.5 for a loss (IN ONLY 6 GAMES!!!) and 2 sacks.
Gerald McCoy had 19 tackles, 6.5 for a loss and 2 sacks in his freshman year as the Big XII Defensive Freshman of the Year

The next year McCoy was 30 tackles, 11 for a loss, and 6.5 sacks and was First Team All-Big XII and First Team ALL AMERICAN.
It’s also going to help Taylor to not have to be the guy yet as well. Like you’re saying, he’s at a spot where the guys around him can really help his progress and this guy is gonna help him a ton
 
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The key for Taylor is consistency. He will get TFLs by accident but he can’t be getting washed every other play.
I think this coaching staff is going to be huge for Taylor. I don’t want this to be a criticism of his character or anything like that, but to me he doesn’t play tough consistently. Not that he isn’t tough but he gets too cute for his abilities. Nothing wrong with wanting to make splash highlight plays but he’s just gotta stiffen up at times

That’s easily coachable though and we’ve got just the coaching staff for the job I think
 
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