Which Ole Miss Rebels Are Listed in Pro Football Focus' Latest NFL Mock Draft?

The Ole Miss Rebels are currently in offseason mode in preparation for the 2024 season, but some players from last year's roster are working on making their NFL dreams become a reality.

With the NFL Draft beginning on Thursday night, many publications that cover the league are releasing mock drafts, and Pro Football Focus recently took a unique approach to that task, assigning a different analyst to "draft" players for all 32 franchises.

In this exercise, three former Rebels made the cut in later rounds of the draft, beginning with safety Daijahn Anthony going to the Atlanta Falcons with the 197th overall pick. That pick for Atlanta is via the Cleveland Browns.

The final two Rebels on the list were both selected by the Dallas Cowboys, namely wide receiver Zakhari Franklin (No. 216) and edge rusher Cedric Johnson (No. 244). Of these three players, Johnson and Anthony have received the most pre-draft buzz as both have appeared in numerous mock drafts, including one from The Athletic last week.

Johnson has also appeared in a recent five-round mock draft released by NFL.com, going No. 100 overall to the Washington Commanders.

It is worth noting, however, that this PFF mock draft included wide receiver Zakhari Franklin. Franklin is certainly a talented player on the field, but he "chose not to play" when the Rebels faced the Georgia Bulldogs last season. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin did not provide a detailed explanation of that decision after the game.

"He did make the trip," Kiffin said. "I don't know the plan for him the rest of the year. So, he ended up ‒ by his decision ‒ not playing. So, you'd have to ask him."

After transferring in from the UTSA Roadrunners last offseason, Franklin appeared in four games for Ole Miss in 2023, hauling in four receptions for 38 yards and one score.

The NFL Draft is set to begin with Round 1 on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, and Rounds 4-7 will take place at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. Draft coverage on television will be carried by ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

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