OXFORD — A historic number of Rebels continued a new journey on Friday.
Twenty-six players participated in Ole Miss’s Pro Day at the Manning Center. As of ESPN’s latest mock draft, nine Rebels are projected to be taken, including four in the first two days and two in the first round.
Chief among them was quarterback Jaxson Dart, who ESPN projects to be taken 26th by the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, continue to develop my craft,” he said. “Whatever team gets me, I have the highest of aspirations, so that’s what I’m chasing.”
Over the course of his career, Dart has prided himself on his competitive nature and toughness.
As a Rebel, he became the program’s all-time leader in passing yards, total offense and wins. He was also the first Ole Miss quarterback to be named first-team All-SEC in over 20 years.
Dart felt that Friday’s pro day was a great opportunity to showcase both of those to NFL teams.
“I’m going to compete every time I get a chance to,” he said. “I love the game of football, so anytime I get a chance to play football and go out there and be on that stage, I want to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Saints head coach Kellen Moore and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer were among those in attendance. The Saints hold the ninth overall pick in the draft and the Cowboys the 12th.
Ole Miss also had quite a few eyes on its defensive line prospects; Chris Paul, Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, Jared Ivey and J.J. Pegues.
At the NFL Combine in February, Nolen received the highest grade among all defensive tackles and the fifth highest overall.
“I feel like I showed everybody what it is on tape. I’m a good football player. I can move well,” Nolen said. “For me, the biggest thing is talking to them and giving them the chance to get to know me. I got to do some more of that today.”
The Rebels were led in sacks by Umanmielen, who had 10.5 after transferring from Florida. Though he only played in Oxford for a year, he feels that he was able to learn from Lou Spanos, an analyst with a great deal of professional experience.
“Just teaching me everything he knows being a coach in the NFL for 15 years really helped me out and helped me to grow for the next level,” Umanmielen said.
Pegues established himself as someone who can not only help on the defensive line, but also in the backfield. As a fullback, Pegues had 21 carries for 69 yards and seven touchdowns, the second most on the team behind Henry Parrish Jr. Pegues hopes that, through pro day, he was able to show NFL teams that he can play both sides at the professional level.
“I’ve talked to some coordinators and stuff like that on the offensive side, tight end and running back coaches,” he said. “So hopefully they give me the opportunity to do it, and it’ll be the same as college.”
Paul finished the 2024 season as Ole Miss’s leader in solo tackles (48) and total tackles (86). Above all else, the linebacker was happy to be able to compete with his teammates one last time.
“I just wanted to cheer on my teammates,” he said. “It’s the last time that I’ll get to compete with them on the field together, so I just wanted to be an energy source for them, and even then, I’m just happy to be back around my guys.”
The NFL Draft will start Thursday, April 24 in Green Bay, WI.
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