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The biggest off-season spectacle in North American sports takes place on Thursday night as Pittsburgh hosts the first round of the NFL draft. As always, we can expect the made-for-primetime-TV event to deliver a few surprise choices, interesting trades and, yes, eye-catching outfits.
There’s absolutely zero drama surrounding the No. 1 overall pick, however. The quarterback-needy Las Vegas Raiders are a lock to select squeaky-clean Indiana University passer Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to their first-ever college football national championship.
After that, it gets more interesting, with the lowly Jets, Cardinals, Titans and Giants rounding out the top five. Top prospects include Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey and Ohio State defensive teammates Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs. The top receivers are Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon.
At least one Canadian has been drafted every year since 2011, including a record five in 2023, four in 2024 and two last year. But nearly all of them went in the second through seventh rounds, which take place on Friday and Saturday and are much lower-key.
It’s been a long time since a “true” Canadian got picked in the first round. Toronto-born receiver N’Keal Harry went 32nd overall to the New England Patriots in 2019, but he moved out of the country at a very young age and grew up in Arizona. For someone who was born and raised in Canada, you have to go back to 2011, when the Philadelphia Eagles chose offensive lineman Danny Watkins of Kelowna, B.C., with the 23rd overall pick.
But there’s an excellent chance the drought ends on Thursday night. Akheem Mesidor, a powerful 6-foot-3, 280-pound edge rusher from Ottawa who racked up 12.5 sacks last season for the University of Miami and helped the Hurricanes reach the national championship game, is considered a solid mid- to late-first-round prospect. His relatively advanced age (25) and injury history could be concerns, but no one doubts that he can play, and some mock drafts have him going as high as 15th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After Mesidor, the quality of Canadian prospects drops off, so it’s possible that he will be the only one picked this year. But a few Canadians have a shot to hear their names called near the end of the draft on Saturday.
To assess their chances, I once again enlisted the help of my CBC Sports colleague Dion Caputi, who really knows his stuff when it comes to the draft and the NFL as a whole. Here’s his analysis of the top Canadians available in this year’s draft and a prediction on when they might come off the board.
Akheem Mesidor, defensive end, Miami
The burly, stoutly-built Ottawa native is an accomplished pass rusher whose sack production matured this season. Under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor (Miami’s defensive ends coach), Mesidor recorded 12.5 sacks (and 17.5 tackles for loss) last season while exhibiting genuine reliability as an anchoring edge in run defence. He joined the Hurricanes via transfer from West Virginia in 2022 and made an immediate impact with seven sacks, but ligament injury issues in both feet slowed his momentum the following season and sidelined him for most of 2023.
Beyond the tangible data, Mesidor’s most appealing asset has proven to be the consistency in his down-by-down work rate. He’s a high-motor edge presence with the versatility to offer something as an interior rusher on third downs if required.
Projection: It seems to be a question of when, not if, Mesidor will be selected in the first round. If he remains on the board entering Day 2, it would be a major talking point. His hard stop likely comes in the 20s.
Logan Taylor, offensive lineman, Boston College
Taylor profiles as a zone blocker with a wealth of experience and blocking mechanics. Over the course of his collegiate career, spanning between Virginia and Boston College, the Lunenburg, N.S., native made 28 total starts at offensive tackle, but at the next level he’ll have to kick inside to guard, where he made 18 starts between the 2024 and ’25 seasons.
Taylor completed his college career as a team captain and features a solid skill-base in pass protection with wide, composed movement to neutralize quicker rushers. To facilitate a move to guard he’ll require additional bulk to withstand powerful interior lineman as a pro. In Taylor’s future, there is long-term starting potential at best and valuable backup potential at worst.
Projection: What Taylor lacks in tantalizing physical tools, he compensates for with experience and above-average intangibles. That will likely appeal to teams in the final rounds seeking a worthy depth blocker with room to grow. If picked, it’ll likely come in the later phase of Day 3.
Rene Konga, defensive tackle, Louisville
Entering the draft, Konga is presently a better athlete than football player. Having said that, 2025 was the year things appeared to click. Profiling as a one-gap disruptor in a base 4-3 defence, Konga’s quickness and first step off the snap created problems for opposing interior blockers. While he’s viewed as moderately undersized, he’s impressively built.
The Ottawa native finally put himself on the NFL’s radar this season and may very well benefit from the perception that he’s a late bloomer just beginning to ripen. The lack of sack production despite his disruption skill is what will likely hold him back in the draft, but he appears to be ascending on-field.
Projection: NFL teams know they aren’t getting a finished product late in the draft, but Konga has the sort of physical tools teams are eager to mine for later on Day 3. He could be drafted on those tools alone, but he’ll have to wait until rounds six or seven if the call does come.
Wesley Bailey, defensive end, Louisville
Like his Cardinals teammate Konga, Bailey is a native of Ottawa and a former Rutgers transfer. He’s a prototype defensive end at 6-foot-5 and roughly 260 pounds and features impressive limb length and strength for an edge rusher. Bailey contributed timely sack production and displayed an adequate understanding of all phases of the position.
Although lacking in elite get-off speed or fluidity in space, he could excel as a situational or rotation edge rusher at the next level. Physically, he can already withstand the rigours of the pro game. If he refines other aspects of his position, he may latch on somewhere.
Projection: Bailey has an interesting physical tool kit to work with and may yet have a second development tier to unlock. This draft’s pass rushing class might be oversaturated, but whether he’s picked late or winds up as a priority free agent, he’ll have a legitimate crack at the NFL.
Albert Reese IV, offensive lineman, Mississippi State
At 6-foot-7, 330 pounds, Reese is a mammoth blocker. Profiling more as a right tackle at the next level, where he’s likely to encounter more power-based edge defenders, Reese has proven capable of imposing physically in the ground game. As a pass protector, trust in his footwork and mechanics when faced with quicker defenders remains a work in progress as he can be prone to penalties.
Still, the Edmonton native is precisely what teams look for in a long-term project prospect, with size and natural tools that simply can’t be taught. Football took him south of the border in 2022 during Covid and he’s exhibited gradual year-over-year improvement.
Projection: There may be too much development work required to warrant a draft pick, but his size could entice a team to take a late flier. In the event he goes unpicked, Reese should comfortably wind up on a practice squad at worst.
For more on the draft as it happens, follow Dion on Twitter @nfldraftupdate.
