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Akheem Mesidor won’t be the only Canadian rookie at the Los Angeles Chargers’ training camp.
After taking Miami rush end Mesidor in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, the Chargers selected Logan Taylor, a hulking offensive lineman at Boston College, in the sixth round Saturday, 202nd overall.
It’s not the first time that’s happened. In 2014, the Baltimore Ravens took defensive lineman Brent Urban, of Mississauga, Ont., in the fourth round out of Virginia before selecting Winnipeg’s John Urschel, an offensive lineman at Penn State, in the fifth round.
The Chargers selected Mesidor, of Ottawa, with the 22nd overall pick, making him just the sixth Canadian-born player to go in the first round. But Mesidor became the first Canadian-born defensive player selected in the first round.
At least one Canadian has been taken in the draft since 2011.
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The six-foot-seven, 312-pound Taylor, of Lunenburg, N.S., was named a team captain last season at Boston College, a career first. Taylor has been a versatile performer the last three seasons for the Eagles, playing left tackle (17 starts), left guard (10), right guard (eight) and right tackle (one).
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He was a second-team All-ACC and second team AP All-ACC selection in 2025.
Taylor began his U.S. college career at Virginia (2021-2022). He worked his way into the starting lineup in 2021 at tackle before starting all 11 games in 2022.
Taylor transferred to Boston College before the 2023 season and stepped in at left tackle, starting all 13 games and earning Honourable Mention All-ACC honours.
Taylor and Mesidor both participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in January. They were also invited to the NFL combine in Indianapolis in February.
At the combine, Taylor’s arms measured 33 7/8 inches and he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.19 seconds. Taylor also recorded a 31-inch vertical jump and nine-foot broad jump.
Following the draft, TSN reported that Ottawa’s Wesley Bailey, a defensive lineman at Louisville, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams. Bailey had 39 tackles (seven for loss) and six sacks in 12 contests last season.
Bailey began his NCAA career at Rutgers (2020-24). Overall, he started 41-of-48 games and recorded 110 tackles (22 for loss) with 15.5 sacks and four fumble recoveries. He was ranked No. 4 on the CFL scouting bureau’s top-20 prospects list for the league’s draft, which will be held Tuesday.
Bailey’s teammate at Louisville, defensive lineman Rene Konga, also of Ottawa, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins. Konga had been projected as a third-day draft pick.
The six-foot-four, 298-pound Konga spent the last two seasons with the Cardinals, recording 49 defensive tackles (eight for loss), four sacks, and six pass knockdowns in 23 games. He began his NCAA career at Rutgers before transferring to Louisville in 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
