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Chargers Select Brenen Thompson After Record Season at Mississippi State

After a record-setting season, Brenen Thompson was selected by the Chargers, becoming Mississippi State’s first drafted wide receiver since 1996.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) looks to the sky before a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19 in the Egg Bowl.
Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) looks to the sky before a college football game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19 in the Egg Bowl. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State has a played headed to the NFL.

For the first time in 30 years, the Bulldogs watched one of their own wide receivers hear his name called in the NFL Draft.

Brenen Thompson ended the drought on Saturday when the Los Angeles Chargers selected him in the fourth round, a fitting reward for a player who squeezed a whole career’s worth of impact into one season in Starkville.

It’s easy to forget how quickly Thompson’s stock climbed. He arrived from Oklahoma looking for a fresh start and a familiar system, and Jeff Lebby handed him exactly that.

From the opener to the bowl game, Thompson was the most explosive player on the field. Mississippi State hadn’t seen a receiver stretch a defense like this since the mid‑90s, and the numbers backed it up.

57 catches. Six touchdowns. And the big one: 1,054 receiving yards, a new single‑season school record. He broke Makai Polk’s mark in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on a simple 15‑yard route, the kind of play he made look routine all year.

Only three other Bulldogs had ever reached 1,000 yards in a season. Thompson didn’t just join the club. He set the standard.

The combine only confirmed what everyone already knew. His 4.26 in the 40 turned heads across the league, and the 1.54 ten‑yard split showed why defensive backs spent the fall chasing him. Speed is one thing. Speed that shows up on Saturdays is another. Thompson had both.

Mississippi State hasn’t had a receiver drafted since Eric Moulds went in the first round in 1996. Three decades without a wideout hearing his name is a strange stat for a program that has produced plenty of talent. Thompson ended that run with one season, one record book rewrite, and one more reminder that elite speed travels.

He leaves Starkville as an All‑SEC selection and the newest Charger. More importantly, he leaves as the player who finally put Mississippi State receivers back on the draft board.

For a program that’s been waiting 30 years for this moment, that’s the headline.

ESPN's Take

"A speedster for offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel! Thompson is an ideal fit for McDaniel's offense, which thrives on getting speedy players into space and upfield. He ran a 4.26 40-yard dash at the combine, tied for the fifth-fastest by any player on record. Thompson is small -- 5-foot-9, 164 pounds -- but had a breakout season in 2025, finishing with an SEC-leading 1,054 receiving yards (set the Mississippi State single-season record)."

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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