Rebels-Exes Mason Brooks and Malik Heath Make NFL Noise
As transfers, receiver Malik Heath and offensive lineman Mason Brooks spent just one season each at Ole Miss. Brooks transferred to Oxford after three productive seasons at Western Kentucky, and Heath spent two seasons at rival Mississippi State before becoming a Rebel via the transfer portal.
And now, both are making waves in the NFL.
Neither one was selected in this year's NFL Draft in April. But that doesn't mean their path doesn't lead through football's most elite league.
Brooks was drafted into the USFL this summer, but he chose instead to take his chances as an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Commanders. Brooks led the SEC in rushing yards in 2022 and was able to ink a deal in Washington for $150,000 guaranteed, including a $35,000 signing bonus.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera likes what he sees so far from the former Ole Miss ball carrier.
“He may not have started a lot, but he played a lot of football," Head coach Ron Rivera said per si.com. "He’s shown some position flexibility more so anything else, that's always something that we always feel is an important thing.
"There was a general toughness that we liked and that we thought, this is a guy that could come in and help us out. If you can get a guy like that as (an) undrafted free agent, you gotta see and take a shot.”
Heath arrived in Green Bay after an invitation to OTAs, and still remains unsigned. But he's made some noise and caught the attention of the Packers' coaching staff.
“Whether it be during the three OTA practices that were open to the media or the two minicamp practices, there wasn’t a session that went by without Heath making at least one play,” said USA Today.
Heath caught a career-high 60 balls in 2022 for the Rebels, leading the team with a career-high 971 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns in 13 games.
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