With the College Football Playoffs in full swing, NFL scouts are set to be all over the nation in preparation for the 2026 NFL Draft. The Sugar Bowl, featuring Georgia and Ole Miss, will have more than a few prospects for onlookers to keep an eye on.
Here are the Ole Miss Rebels who scouts will be watching:
Dae’Quan Wright, TE
PFSN Tight End Impact: 80.6, B-
After transferring over from Virginia Tech, Dae’Quan Wright has amassed 61 catches for 947 yards and eight touchdowns for the Rebels. At 6’4″, 255 pounds, he has ideal athleticism and lean mass, explosive RAC upside, and is a competent, role-versatile blocker. He’s still growing as a separator, but is a great upside gamble in the middle rounds.
De’Zhaun Stribling, WR
PFSN Wide Receiver Impact: 78, C+
Having played at three teams in five years, De’Zhaun Stribling has remained consistently productive across his career, and he’s tied his career-high in touchdowns with Ole Miss in 2025. At 6’2″, 200 pounds, he’s an explosive athlete who can be schemed rhythm targets or gain space deep, and he has eye-catching body control and catch-point composure.
Diego Pounds, OL (Tackle)
PFSN Offensive Line Impact: 72.5, C-
Diego Pounds was a full-time starter for the first time in his career in 2025, after serving as a part-time starter in 2024 and at North Carolina in 2023. At 6’6″, 335 pounds, he’s a burly, high-hipped, and long-limbed blocker with good functional athleticism, but also modest hip stiffness and strike inconsistency that could force a move to guard.
Harrison Wallace III, WR
PFSN Wide Receiver Impact: 78.9, C+
After transferring over from Penn State, Harrison Wallace III has had his most productive career season in 2025 with Ole Miss, totaling 738 yards and three scores on 48 catches. He struggles with drops at times, but Wallace has a compelling blend of athleticism and lean size at 6’1″, 195 pounds, and he’s a respectable RAC threat in space.
Jayden Williams, OL (Tackle)
PFSN Offensive Line Impact: 74.9, C
At 6’4″, 320 pounds, Jayden Williams started 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022, and though he was demoted for most of the 2023 season, he’s rebounded post-injury in 2024 to once again earn a full-time role with the Rebels.
MORE: Trinidad Chambliss’ Journey to the College Football Playoff Is Unbelievable
Non-elite length and modest stiffness may force a move to guard down the line, but he has the experience, natural strength, and leverage to earn PFA interest.
Kapena Gushiken, DB
PFSN Safety Impact: 82.1, B-
Kapena Gushiken has been a sleeper on my radar for a while, ever since he thrived as a nickel defender at Washington State. Playing more split-field safety at Ole Miss, he hasn’t produced as much closer to the line, but his quickness and fluidity working overtop routes have once again proved crucial.
Though Gushiken is undersized, his all-encompassing versatility and play pace should earn him an NFL opportunity.
Patrick Kutas, OL (Guard)
PFSN Offensive Line Impact: 77.5, C+
A transfer addition from Arkansas, Patrick Kutas is another experienced offensive lineman who, though protected by Ole Miss’ OL-friendly scheme, could earn UDFA interest. At 6’4″, 315 pounds, he doesn’t have much knee bend and thus struggles to anchor at times, but he’s physical, stout, and knows how to play square to opponents.
Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE
PFSN Linebacker Impact: 77.8, C+
After transferring over from Nebraska, Princewill Umanmielen emerged to the tune of eight sacks and 11.5 TFLs in his first season at Ole Miss. Like his brother, who plays for the Carolina Panthers, Princewill has the same lethal first-step explosiveness, and though 2027 might be his declaration cycle, he’s already proving capable of stringing together moves.
Sage Ryan, DB
PFSN Safety Impact: 73.7, C
Sage Ryan has most often played at the nickel spot over Gushiken for the Rebels in 2025. Though he can improve his playmaking ability at the catch point, he has a degree of positional versatility that should earn him a training camp opportunity as a PFA, at the very least.
Suntarine Perkins, OLB
PFSN Linebacker Impact: 74.5, C-
Suntarine Perkins exploded onto the scene with a 10-sack, 14.5-TFL 2024 campaign, and his 2025 campaign has quietly been similarly productive.
His NFL projection is complicated as an undersized hybrid rush linebacker. Still, Perkins can thrive in a Josh Metellus-style role where he’s able to pin his ears back as a rusher, attack TE blocks, and operate as a short zone dropper.
TJ Dottery, LB
PFSN Linebacker Impact: 74.3, C
A two-year starter for Ole Miss, TJ Dottery could be a late-round pick or PFA in the 2026 NFL Draft.
MORE: Sugar Bowl Opt-Outs and Injury Report: Which Players Are Not Participating in Ole Miss vs. Georgia Matchup
He’s close to average size and doesn’t have overbearing rush or coverage value as a playmaker, but he’s a smart and heady player who can read gap looks, engage with physicality, and convert on tackle attempts.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB
PFSN Quarterback Impact: 90.3, A-
Trinidad Chambliss, the 2024 Harlon Hill winner at Ferris State, took over for Austin Simmons early in the year at QB, and he hasn’t looked back since. He’s passed for 3,298 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just three interceptions, while rushing for 506 yards and eight additional TDs.
The traditional evaluation limitations of Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss offense still apply to Chambliss, whose repertoire is heavy with quick timing throws and RPOs. That said, his poise and accuracy have been consistent, admirable qualities, and he’s playing himself into draftable territory.
If Chambliss can help lead Ole Miss on a deep College Football Playoff run, it could catalyze an ascent in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Wydett Williams Jr., SAF
PFSN Safety Impact: 92.0, A-
A transfer from UL Monroe, Wydett Williams Jr. has quietly been a godsend for the Rebels’ defense. At 6’2″, 205 pounds, he’s a well-sized safety who also boasts excellent coverage, mobility, and spatial awareness at his size. He’s amassed 60 tackles, three interceptions, and eight pass breakups in 2025, and is a big-time sleeper in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Zxavian Harris, DT
PFSN Defensive Tackle Impact: 80.4, B-
Zxavian Harris has multiple arrests on his record, and will have to pass the character evaluation for NFL teams. If he does, he’s in the midst of a career-best season with three sacks and eight TFLs, and he’s an explosive, alignment-versatile power producer at 6’7″, 320 pounds, with a ton of raw upside to unpack.
