The NFL Draft is three days out, and Ole Miss fans should probably pace themselves. You’ll hear some Rebel names this weekend, but Thursday night won’t be one of those nights.
No one from Oxford is expected to crack the first round, which means the real interest starts Friday.
That hasn’t stopped the mock drafts from flooding every corner of the internet. Seven‑round projections are everywhere right now, and they’re fun to scroll through, but they’re also the least reliable thing about draft week.
CBS Sports even dropped a full seven‑round mock that didn’t include a single Ole Miss player. That’s not happening in real life, but it’s a good reminder of how scattered these things can be.
#OleMiss WR De’Zhaun Stribling is one of my favorite day 2 receivers in the draft.
Outstanding athlete with a 9.9 RAS, really good initial acceleration and release package off the line, and super reliable hands. Very solid vertical threat overall. pic.twitter.com/4OcyVE13k4
— Andy (@AndyyNFL) March 21, 2026
Others see things differently.
ESPN’s Justin Reid has two Rebels coming off the board. He slotted De’Zhaun Stribling to the Colts in the third round at No. 78 overall, calling him a three‑level threat who fits Shane Steichen’s offense. Reid also projected Diego Pounds to Jacksonville in the fifth round.
Most notably, though, Reid didn’t including defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who has been mocked as high as a second round draft pick in previous ESPN mock drafts.
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter went even bigger, projecting six Ole Miss players to be drafted. He had Stribling in the second round to Indianapolis, Zxavian Harris in the fourth to Tampa Bay, Harrison Wallace III in the sixth to New Orleans, Kapena Gushiken in the sixth to Indianapolis, Jayden Williams in the seventh and Pounds in the seventh to Baltimore.
De’Zhaun Stribling (6’2 207) Ole Miss
+ Strong hands
+ Over 3,000 snaps played
+ Reliable hands with just a 1.8% drop rate during the 2025 season
+ 9.88 relative athletic score that included a 4.36 40-yard dash
+ Big play ability and had 17 yards per catch in 2024
+ 23 career… pic.twitter.com/KXZe3k0xla— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) March 15, 2026
Gushiken and Williams haven’t been included in many mock drafts this spring, too. That may make Reuter’s mock draft an outlier.
And that’s the point.
If you want a mock draft that makes you feel good, you can find one. If you want one that makes you roll your eyes, those are out there too. Seven‑round mocks are entertainment, not gospel.
The real answers start arriving Friday.
Until then, enjoy the chaos, but don’t take the full‑board predictions too seriously.
