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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Ole Miss football concluded the 2025 NFL Draft with eight selections, the most of any Rebel draft class since the beginning of the seven-round format in 1994 and the second-most in the modern history of the NFL since the AFL-NFL merger in 1967. Three more Rebels heard their names called for Day Three on Saturday: wide receiver Jordan Watkins to the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round (138th overall), linebacker Chris Paul Jr.
to the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round (172nd overall), and defensive tackle JJ Pegues to the Las Vegas Raiders in the sixth round (180th overall). Those three join a record five Rebels selected within the first three rounds across Day One and Day Two: defensive tackle Walter Nolen (Arizona Cardinals, 16th overall) and quarterback Jaxson Dart (New York Giants, 25th overall) in the first round; wide receiver Tre Harris (Los Angeles Chargers, 55th overall) and cornerback Trey Amos (Washington Commanders, 61st overall) in the second round; and defensive end Princely Umanmielen (Carolina Panthers, 77th overall) in the third. Watkins is the first Rebel receiver ever taken by San Francisco, the first player taken by the 49ers overall since defensive tackle D.
J. Jones in 2017 (sixth round, pick 198) and the highest taken by them since Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis in 2007 (first round, pick 11). Watkins came to Ole Miss in 2022 by way of Louisville, and after three seasons with the Rebels he finished as one of the best all-time receivers to wear the Red and Blue.
Watkins hauled in 142 passes for 2,096 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is one of 11 Rebels to ever break 2,000 career receiving yards, and he finished top-10 in the school record books in 100-yard receiving games (6), ninth in receiving yards (2,096) and tied for ninth in receptions (142). In 2024 alone Watkins nabbed a team-leading nine touchdown receptions – the most since A.
J. Brown's record 11 in 2017 – alongside 906 yards on 49 catches. But Watkins had no bigger day as Rebel than his historic dismantling of the Arkansas secondary last fall in which he broke Ole Miss single-game records in receiving yards (254) and receiving touchdowns (5) on eight total catches.
Watkins' performance stands as one of two in SEC history with 250 yards and five touchdowns receiving alongside Alabama Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, while Watkins also helped Ole Miss break or tie single-game team records in passing yards (562) and passing TD (7). Paul Jr. is the highest drafted Ole Miss inside linebacker since Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis was taken 11th overall in 2007.
Specifically for the Los Angeles Rams (which were also the St. Louis Rams), Paul Jr. is the highest-drafted Rebel since quarterback Norris Weese in 1974 (fourth round, pick 99) and the highest drafted Rebel defensive player ever selected by the LA Rams.
Paul Jr. – who goes by the nickname Pooh – was the field general at inside linebacker for the best rush defense in the nation and one of the overall best defenses in Rebel history during his one season with Ole Miss last fall. The Cordele, Georgia native earned several All-America honors – including a first-team nod from USA Today – and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which is handed out annually to the top linebacker in the nation.
During the 2024 season, Paul Jr. led the Rebels with 88 total tackles (50 solo) and ranked fourth on the team with 11.0 TFL across 12 games played and 11 starts.
He added 3.5 sacks, nine QB hurries, four pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. Paul Jr.
concluded the regular season ranked eighth in the SEC at 7.3 tackles per game, and he ended the whole season as PFF's No. 7 overall defender in the SEC in both defensive season rating (87.
2) and tackling (85.9). Paul Jr.
ranked as PFF's top linebacker in the SEC throughout 2024 and was their second-best linebacker in pass rush (84.0). Pegues is the first Rebel selected by the Raiders since tight end Mario Perry was taken in the 11th round (pick 294) by the then Los Angeles Raiders.
Pegues is the highest overall Rebel pick by the Raiders since wide receiver Tim Moffett in 1985 for the LA Raiders (Round 3, Pick 79), and he stands as the highest Rebel defensive selection all-time by the Raiders. Pegues was one of the more versatile players available in the 2025 NFL Draft, as evidenced by his excellent three seasons with the Rebels in which he served as an effective player on both sides of the ball. Across 38 total games played and 23 starts at Ole Miss, Pegues accounted for 110 total tackles, 26.
5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, nine QB hurries, seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Pegues wrapped his Rebel career tied for 16th in Ole Miss history at those 26.
5 TFL But his value as an offensive weapon – helped greatly by his prior experience as a tight end – turned heads in 2024. In his career, Pegues rushed 26 times for 86 yards and seven touchdowns, while also catching a one-yard touchdown in the 2022 Egg Bowl – with all seven of those rushing scores and 69 of those rushing yards coming last fall alone. Those 42 points ranked third on the team and were the most ever scored by a Chucky Mullins Award winner, while his seven scores ranked as the most rushing touchdowns by a defender in the nation last year.
Pegues was also a crucial component of the best rush defense in the nation last fall, earning several All-SEC honors while contributing to national team leads in both sacks (52) and TFL (120) that both ranked as program records. Pegues was tied for third on the team with 13.5 TFL for 53 yards, which tied for the 10th-most in Ole Miss single-season history.
Pegues added 3.5 sacks, five QB hurries, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup alongside his 42 total tackles. Among interior defensive linemen, Pegues owned the third-most PFF-rated pressures in the SEC at 31, while also ranking fifth in run defense grade (81.
8) and sixth in overall season grade (74.6). An Oxford native, Pegues has also been heavily active in the community, as evidenced by his appearance as a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and his two appearances on the SEC Community Service Team.
OLE MISS REBELS IN THE 2025 NFL DRAFT Round 1, Pick 16 – Walter Nolen, DT, Arizona Cardinals Round 1, Pick 25 – Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants Round 2, Pick 55 – Tre Harris, WR, Los Angeles Chargers Round 2, Pick 61 – Trey Amos, CB, Washington Commanders Round 3, Pick 77 – Princely Umanmielen, DE, Carolina Panthers Round 4, Pick 138 – Jordan Watkins, WR, San Francisco 49ers Round 5, Pick 172 – Chris Paul Jr., LB, Los Angeles Rams Round 6, Pick 180 – JJ Pegues, DT, Las Vegas Raiders More Ole Miss News: Ole Miss Quarterback Confident He's "The Best" QB in the 2025 NFL Draft Top-10 Quarterback in America Locks in Ole Miss Visit Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels Confirm Spring Game Plans in April Join the Community: Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program..
