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Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Wide Receiver Draws Mid-Round NFL Projections

Brenen Thompson is projected as a Day 2 or 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a record-setting season and blazing 4.26 speed.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) reacts after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) reacts after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

The 2026 NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. Thursday and unlike last year’s draft, Mississippi State fans can expect to hear a familiar name at some point. Just, not on Thursday.

Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson is expected to be selected during the final two days of the draft, when rounds 2-7 are held. Where he is selected, though, depends on which mock draft you look at.

CBS Sports projects Thompson to be the second-to-last pick of the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 99.

The Athletic has him going one pick later to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NFL.com slots him as a fourth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 109.

ESPN also puts him in the fourth round, sending him to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 123.

Based on those projections and several others, the floor for Thompson looks like round four. Whenever he’s picked, he’ll become the first Mississippi State wide receiver drafted since Eric Moulds in 1996.

It will also ensure that last year’s draft, which came and went without a single Bulldog selected for the first time since 2009, does not turn into a trend.

Mississippi State fans do not need a reminder of why Thompson is going to be drafted. He set the program’s single-season receiving record with 1,054 yards and six touchdowns.

He also delivered one of the most memorable moments of the season when he hauled in the game-winning touchdown that stunned then-No. 12 Arizona State.

That play alone would have put him on the radar, but his full body of work made him a legitimate NFL prospect.

What really pushed him into draftable territory, though, was the 4.26 he ran in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. It was the fifth-fastest time ever recorded at the event and the kind of number that forces teams to take a closer look.

Speed like that changes how scouts talk about a player. It changes how coaches imagine using him. It changes how front offices stack their boards.

Thompson is not a finished product, and NFL teams know that. But he has elite speed, proven production in the SEC, and a clear path to carving out a role early in his career.

That combination usually gets a player drafted somewhere on Day 2 or Day 3.

Once Thompson’s name is called, that will be it for Mississippi State this year.

The only other Bulldog with a real chance to be selected was cornerback Kelley Jones, but he chose to return for his senior season.

His decision helps Mississippi State in the short term, but it also means Thompson will likely be the lone representative for the program in this year’s draft.

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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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