Going into the 2025 season, Ole Miss was tasked with replacing a plethora of key players that departed to chase NFL dreams. Now, heading into the 2026 season, the Rebels return the majority of their core from their 13-win squad last season and lack no experience after losing just two players to the 2026 NFL Draft.
While we sit here in June awaiting kickoff in just under three months, we'll take a look at the current Rebels with NFL Draft buzz and which can generate more.
On Friday, ESPN draft analysts Jordan Reid and Matt Miller broke down the 2027 NFL Draft board position by position, ranking the top prospects in all 12 position groups. The two draft eligible Rebels ranked within the top five were junior running back Kewan Lacy and junior defensive tackle Will Echoles.
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Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy (No. 5) and defensive tackle Will Echoles (No. 52) celebrate the Rebels' College Football Playoff quarterfinal win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. (Photo: Ole Miss Athletics)
Miller tabs Lacy as the second-best running back prospect, only behind Missouri's Ahmad Hardy, while Reid has the Rebels' star back as the upcoming class' top available runner.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound runner burst onto the scene last year after receiving just 23 total carries as a true freshman at Missouri. It didn't take long for many to see why Ole Miss badly wanted to land Lacy during his high school recruitment, as the sophomore ran his way into the Rebel record books with 1,567 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns on 306 carries (5.1 YPC).
As for Echoles, both NFL analysts have him slated as the No. 3 draft eligible defensive tackle, only behind Oregon's A'Mauri Washington and Miami's Ahmad Moten going into the 2026 season.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound interior defender signed with Ole Miss' 2024 recruiting class as the Magnolia State's top overall prospect and has earned playing time since. Echoles played in seven games as a true freshman on one of the Rebels' top constructed rosters ever, and then thrived later as a sophomore in 2025. In 15 starts during his sophomore campaign, Echoles proved to be disruptive for opposing offenses as he recorded 68 tackles, five pass deflections and five sacks.
Both Lacy and Echoles play premium positions and are premiere players that will get paid handsomely at the collegiate level. They both have eligibility remaining following the 2026 season, but the consistent first and second round NFL Draft grades will probably be enough for Lacy and Echoles to forgo senior seasons in 2027. For what it's worth, Lacy has already publicly stated (multiple times this offseason) that he fully anticipates his junior campaign to be the last of his collegiate career.
Still, anything can happen between now and the 2027 NFL Draft.
Other 2027 NFL Draft eligible Rebels to watch
QB Trinidad Chambliss (Sr.)
K Lucas Carneiro (Sr.)
LB Suntarine Perkins (Sr.)
WR Darrell Gill Jr. (Sr.)
OL Patrick Kutas (Sr.)
WR Johntay Cook (Sr.)
WR Horatio Fields (Sr.)
WR Deuce Alexander (Jr.)
DE Kam Franklin (Jr.)
Chambliss is the clear headliner of this group and will have a prime opportunity to raise his NFL Draft stock as the full-time starter throughout the 2026 season. Though not mentioned in ESPN's top-five 2027 quarterback draft rankings, Chambliss remains on the national radar and will have plenty of eyes on him throughout the final year of his collegiate career.
Ole Miss will begin its 2026 campaign September 6 against Louisville in Nashville.