A Giant among giants: Ottawa’s Mesidor drafted to NFL

If you haven’t heard of Ottawa’s Akheem Mesidor yet, you will now.

The 25-year-old football player, who once played for the North Gloucester Giants Football Club, was selected in the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.

He was chosen 22nd overall.

Mesidor becomes the sixth Canadian-born player ever selected in the first round — and the first defensive player to achieve the feat.

It also marks the first time since 2011 that at least one Canadian has been selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Ottawa Coun. Tim Tierney, who represents Beacon Hill-Cyrville, was in attendance and spoke with Mesidor ahead of the draft, asking what he learned during his time with the North Gloucester Giants.

“What did the Giants do for me? They taught me to love football just by competing every single day with everybody in the community,” Mesidor said.

He gathered with friends, family and supporters at Ottawa’s TD PLACE on Thursday, waiting with bated breath for the phone call that would change his life.

Then, finally, it came.

Sitting with his head down and phone to his ear, the room fell silent.

After a moment, he lowered the phone and lifted his head.

Several seconds passed with Akheem sitting in silence, the crowd’s cheers growing increasingly louder.

It felt like an eternity for attendees before Mesidor reached beside his leg, pulled out a blue-and-yellow cap and placed it on his head, signalling he had been drafted by the LA Chargers.

The room erupted in celebration as he turned to his mother for a long hug.

Following the call, Mesidor addressed the crowd.

“It’s really not about me, it’s about we,” he said. “The older generation, my current generation, the younger generation — just know that anything is possible.”

He added: “I come from nothing. It doesn’t matter your situation — if you keep working, you’ll go wherever you want to go. Just keep working.”

Tierney said Mesidor is the epitome of hard work, perseverance and community.

“This guy is super humble,” Tierney said. “He is one of the nicest people and one of the best ambassadors. To all the coaches and mentors from Giants football, like Chris Lalonde, Steve O’Connor and Victor Tedondo from Ottawa’s Gridiron Academy — thank you for what you do.”

Tierney said Mesidor is the latest example of why Ottawa and other cities need to support local sports and the role they play in communities.

“The City of Ottawa and Canada — we’re all proud of you, Akheem, and your great accomplishments. And the real star is your mom, who has loved and supported you throughout every step of your journey.”