The 2026 NFL draft severely underdelivered for Ole Miss football. Make no mistake, the Rebels had no illusions about where they stood with this draft cycle, but the unexplainable draft slide that more than half the Rebel draft class underwent got depressing.
Only two players, WR De'Zhaun Stribling and Jayden Williams, were picked in the NFL Draft. All remaining players with a decent Day 3 draft stock got off as undrafted free agents.
Ole Miss football hits depressing low in 2026 NFL Draft
Clearly, Ole Miss knew they didn't have the Day 1 Jaxson Dart and Walter Nolen ceiling, and they did not pretend like so. But it clearly had much more potential than just two players drafted and the others going completely unnoticed for seven rounds.
Ole Miss insider Michael Katz pointed out how this is an almost program-low mark for the Rebels.
"The NFL Draft is over, and Ole Miss finishes with two draft picks: De'Zhaun Stribling (second round) and Jayden Williams (seventh round). It's the fewest picks for the program since 2020 when zero Rebels were drafted," Katz reported.
Critics were undoubtedly hard on the shortcomings, but NFL teams still saw their potential, signing five UDFAs mere moments after Day 3 concluded. They wanted the players all along, but didn't want to waste picks on them, and knew they would be undrafted by the end of it all.
If anything, this puts a massive chip on each Rebel even before they enter their pro career to prove the critics wrong with some seriously improved skills.
Ole Miss fans know the draft class of 2027 is going to be the complete opposite of it, with Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss headlining it.
Yet, the anticipation of seeing this year's players making it to final Week 1 NFL roster will continue brewing all offseason long.
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