{"id":423361,"date":"2024-07-30T11:51:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T15:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/?page_id=423361"},"modified":"2024-07-30T11:51:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T15:51:03","slug":"draft-picks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/ole-miss-history\/draft-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Ole Miss All-Time First-Round NFL Draft Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ole Miss football has seen 259 players drafted<\/a> into the NFL dating all the way back to 1939.<\/p>\n

And some of the game’s best are in that group, including 2 NFL Hall of Famers (soon to be 3). On this page, we’ll highlight some of the most notable former Rebels in the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Let’s start at the top, where most of the NFL’s best are (naturally) selected \u2013 Round 1. Ole Miss has seen 22 first-round draftees, starting with Parker Hall in 1939 through Ole Miss’s most recent member of the first-round club, Laremy Tunsil.<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at all 22 first rounders to come out of Ole Miss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NAME<\/th>\nYEAR<\/th>\nPICK<\/th>\nPOSITION<\/th>\nTEAM<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Evan Engram<\/td>\n2017<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nTE<\/td>\nNew York Giants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Laremy Tunsil<\/td>\n2016<\/td>\n13<\/td>\nT<\/td>\nMiami Dolphins<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Laquan Treadwell<\/td>\n2016<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\nMinnesota Vikings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Robert Nkimdiche<\/td>\n2016<\/td>\n29<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\nArizona Cardinals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Michael Oher<\/td>\n2009<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nT<\/td>\nAtlanta Falcons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peria Jerry<\/td>\n2009<\/td>\n24<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\nBaltimore Ravens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Patrick Willis<\/td>\n2007<\/td>\n11<\/td>\nLB<\/td>\nSan Francisco 49ers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chris Spencer<\/td>\n2005<\/td>\n26<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nSeattle Seahawks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eli Manning<\/td>\n2004<\/td>\n1<\/td>\nQB<\/td>\nSan Diego Chargers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Deuce McCallister<\/td>\n2001<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nRB<\/td>\nNew Orleans Saints<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
John Avery<\/td>\n1998<\/td>\n29<\/td>\nRB<\/td>\nMiami Dolphins<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tim Bowens<\/td>\n1994<\/td>\n20<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\nMiami Dolphins<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kelvin Pritchett<\/td>\n1991<\/td>\n20<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\nDallas Cowboys<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tony Bennett<\/td>\n1990<\/td>\n18<\/td>\nDE<\/td>\nGreen Bay Packers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Freddie Joe Nunn<\/td>\n1985<\/td>\n18<\/td>\nDE<\/td>\nSt. Louis Cardinals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Archie Manning<\/td>\n1971<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nQB<\/td>\nNew Orleans Saints<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sam Hindman<\/td>\n1966<\/td>\n11<\/td>\nDE<\/td>\nSan Francisco 49ers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jim Dunaway<\/td>\n1963<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\nMinnesota Vikings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bobby Crespino<\/td>\n1961<\/td>\n10<\/td>\nSE<\/td>\nCleveland Browns<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ed Beatty<\/td>\n1954<\/td>\n10<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nLos Angeles Rams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Merle Hapes<\/td>\n1942<\/td>\n8<\/td>\nFB<\/td>\nNew York Giants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parker Hall<\/td>\n1939<\/td>\n3<\/td>\nTB<\/td>\nCleveland Rams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Ole Miss No. 1 Overall Draft Picks<\/h2>\n

Not all schools can say they’ve produced a No. 1 overall pick. Ole Miss has just one: Eli Manning (though his dad was pretty close, being drafted No. 2 overall in 1971).<\/p>\n

Eli Manning, QB — No. 1 Overall, 2004 NFL Draft (San Diego Chargers)<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Eli Manning, unlike his brother Peyton, followed in his father’s footsteps and played college football in Oxford, leading the Rebels’ offense from 2001-2003. He was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 and put up 3,600 yards passing with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, leading Ole Miss to a 10-3 record.<\/p>\n

Manning’s NFL Draft experience didn’t come without drama. Eli stated that he would refuse to play for the 4-12 Chargers were they to draft him at No. 1 overall. San Diego took him at No. 1 anyway, dealing him to the Giants in exchange for Philip Rivers. In the end it worked out well for both teams, considering the circumstances.<\/p>\n

Manning’s NFL career will always be compared to his brother Peyton’s, but it was objectively a very strong one. He played 16 years, all with New York, and won 2 Super Bowls (and 2 Super Bowl MVPs) with 4 trips to the Pro Bowl. He was best known for his clutch factor and durability, as he never missed a game due to injury across his career. Manning owns the Giants’ franchise records for touchdowns and passing yards throughout a career, records that may take quite a while to fall.<\/p>\n

It’s a topic of great debate, but Manning will likely be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame within the next 10 years. He becomes eligible for the honor in 2025.<\/p>\n

More Notable Ole Miss Draft Picks<\/h2>\n

Patrick Willis, LB — No. 11 Overall, 2007 NFL Draft (San Francisco 49ers)<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Patrick Willis represents Ole Miss’s latest entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s set to be enshrined in August of 2024 after a brief, but impactful, NFL career.<\/p>\n

Willis saw 2 years of playing time at Ole Miss, 2006-2007. He put in work both of those seasons, finishing his Ole Miss career with 265 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. Willis was named the 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and exited Mississippi with an All-American award in hand as well.<\/p>\n

The 49ers selected Willis No. 11 overall in 2007, and he became a star on Day 1. Willis won Defensive Rookie of the Year and reached the Pro Bowl after totaling 174 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and 4 sacks.\u00a0The next 6 years of his career were more or less the same. Willis was consistent and consistently one of the best defensive players on the planet.<\/p>\n

Willis retired in 2014, a relatively short career that was sidelined by a toe issue which forced him to miss most of the 2014 season. When all was said and done Willis finished with 7 Pro Bowl appearances and 5 All-Pro selections.<\/p>\n

Archie Manning, QB — No. 2 Overall, 1971 NFL Draft (New Orleans Saints)<\/h3>\n

The Mannings are the best “football family” in the game’s history, and before Eli there was Archie at Ole Miss.<\/p>\n

Manning, a native of Drew, Mississippi, spent 4 seasons in Oxford with the Rebels and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished top 5 in Heisman voting twice (1969, 1970) and was a part of the first-ever televised primetime College Football game against Alabama.<\/p>\n

Manning didn’t have near the NFL career his sons both would go on to have, but he still had a solid career. He threw for 23,911 passing yards and 125 touchdowns and made 2 trips to the Pro Bowl. Manning was in the league for 13 years, 11 of which came in New Orleans with the Saints after they drafted him No. 2 overall in the 1971 draft.<\/p>\n

Laremy Tunsil, OT — No. 13 Overall, 2016 NFL Draft (Miami Dolphins)<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Laremy Tunsil is one of the best active Ole Miss products in the NFL and one of the better offensive linemen to ever come out of the Rebels program.<\/p>\n

Tunsil was expected by many to be selected much higher than No. 13 in 2016. Many experts labeled Tunsil as the No. 1 overall player in the draft and projected the Tennessee Titans to select him with the first pick.<\/p>\n

But that’s not at all what happened. The Titans traded the No. 1 pick to Los Angeles, who needed a QB and took Jared Goff. Just before the draft, a now-infamous video surfaced of Tunsil wearing a gas mask and smoking marijuana, which sent some teams into a panic and caused his drop to the Dolphins at No. 13.<\/p>\n

That turned out to be a mistake, though Tunsil didn’t fully bloom until landing in Houston with the Texans in 2019. Tunsil has reached 4 of the last 5 Pro Bowls since signing with Houston, and he only missed time in 2021 due to injury. Today, Tunsil is one of the top 10 offensive linemen in the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ole Miss football has seen 259 players drafted into the NFL dating all the way back to 1939. And some of the game’s best are in that group, including 2 NFL Hall of Famers (soon to be 3). On this page, we’ll highlight some of the most notable former Rebels in the NFL Draft. Let’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364280,"featured_media":109298,"parent":423042,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"standard2.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6504],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-423361","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evergreen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/423361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/364280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423361"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/423361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":423505,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/423361\/revisions\/423505"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/423042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saturdaydownsouth.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}