Two former Pinellas County high school standouts heard their names called in the early rounds of the NFL draft last week.
Akheem Mesidor, who played his senior season at Clearwater Academy International, went to the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 22 pick in the first round April 23. The Cleveland Browns traded up April 24 to take former Lakewood safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at No. 58, in the second round.
Mesidor, a 6-foot-3, 259-pound edge rusher, took an unlikely path to the first round. The Ottawa native left Canada for his final year of high school, signed with West Virginia and transferred to Miami in 2022. After a foot injury wiped out most of his 2023 season, he broke through last fall under the coaching of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, posting 12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end. He had 5.5 sacks across four College Football Playoff games as Miami reached the national championship game.
He finished his college career with 35.5 sacks, tied for fourth-most in Miami history, and is set to sign a four-year contract worth $19.7 million. At 25, Mesidor will be one of the older rookies in the league. He is expected to work behind Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu before taking over a larger role.
McNeil-Warren, 22, was born in Tampa and grew up the oldest of nine siblings in St. Petersburg, raised by a single mother. A concussion cost him the first three games of his senior season at Lakewood, and most schools backed off. Toledo did not.
The 6-2 safety started 12 of 13 games as a senior with the Rockets, recording 77 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. He finished his college career with 214 tackles, nine forced fumbles and five interceptions in 48 games. He returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in a win over Western Kentucky in September.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked him 15th on his draft board. The Browns moved up from No. 65 in a trade with San Francisco to take him. He is the first member of his family to attend college.
He is the 21st Lakewood player to reach the NFL.
Quick hits
Region baseball quarterfinal scores
Fort Myers Canterbury 9, Indian Rocks Christian 1
Neumann 11, Canterbury 1
Northside Christian 5, Cambridge Christian 2
Community School of Naples 7, Clearwater Central Catholic 5
Seminole 4, Barron Collier 3
East Lake 2, Wharton 1
Osceola 10, Port Charlotte 0
Island Coast 10, Countryside 0
Freedom 6, St. Petersburg 5
East Bay 5, Northeast 3
Calvary Christian 3, Dunedin 1
Region baseball semifinal schedule
These are best-of-three series that start on Friday, May 1, and end on Saturday, May 2.
Friday, May 1 (series opener)
Northside Christian (14-14) at Canterbury (23-3), 7 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes (21-5) at (No. 14) East Lake (22-4), 7 p.m.
Osceola (21-5) at Island Coast (24-2), 7 p.m.
Seminole (20-8) at Jesuit (22-5), 7 p.m.
Jefferson (16-8-1) at Calvary Christian (26-1), 7 p.m.
Softball district tournaments
The softball district tournaments started this week. The winners secure a playoff spot while the other four postseason at-large berths are determined by rankings.