OXFORD, Miss. - Twenty-six members of the Ole Miss football team put their talents on display in front of approximately 100 scouts, three NFL head coaches and numerous front office personnel across all 32 NFL teams at the Rebels’ Pro Day in preparation for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Jaxson Dart headlined the day's events, as the record-setting quarterback drew eyes with several impressive throwing performances. Ole Miss’ three-year starter behind center capped his career as the winningest QB in program history, registering 28 total wins.
“I’ve grown a lot from a knowledge standpoint, leadership standpoint and obviously in my performance, getting better each and every year,” Dart said. “I took a ton out of coming here and being able to play with the best coaching staff in the country and be developed each and every day. It’s not something where it’s sporadic development, it’s every day. I took pride in that and I think everybody in this facility does.”
Four pass-catchers who helped Dart become one of the best quarterbacks in program history also made appearances at Pro Day: Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, Antwane Wells Jr. and Caden Prieskorn.
Harris was one of the best receivers in the country to start 2024 before an injury sidelined him in the latter half of the season. Despite the injury, Harris was still named a second team All-American by the Associated Press after leading the team in receiving yards (1,030) and receptions (60).
Watkins and Wells picked up the production in the absence of Harris, combining for over 1,400 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on the year.
DT Walter Nolen and CB Trey Amos highlighted the defensive efforts during the Pro Day festivities. Both players have earned first round draft projections after transferring to Ole Miss last season.
Nolen became Ole Miss’ 14th consensus All-American in his lone season in Oxford. He anchored the best rush defense in the nation and one of the best in Ole Miss history. Nolen tallied 48 tackles, tied a team-leading 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
“I feel like I showed everybody today what’s on tape,” Nolen said. “For me, the biggest thing was talking to scouts, giving them a chance to get to know me, and I got to do some more of that today. Overall, I had a pretty good day.”
Amos led the Rebels’ secondary while earning second team All-American nods. He was top five on the team in tackles with 50, 39 of which were solo. Amos paced the team with 13 pass breakups, which is the most by any Rebel since 2015.
Six players ran unofficial sub-4.6 40-yard dash, the fastest coming from defensive backs Trey Washington and Brandon Turnage. The duo tied with an unofficial 4.48 mark, while Turnage also impressed with a 41.5-inch vertical jump. He was the only player north of 40 inches in the event. Turnage spent one season with Ole Miss, where he had 24 tackles with an interception on the season.
Washington spent all four seasons of his collegiate career with Ole Miss, recording 201 career tackles with over half being solo. He had a knack for forcing turnovers, intercepting five passes while forcing three fumbles. He paired his impressive 40 time with a 10-foot-1 broad jump at Pro Day, the third best by any Rebel overall.
At the heart of Ole Miss’ record-setting defense, Chris Paul Jr. also participated in the Pro Day activities. Paul totaled a team-leading 88 tackles last season while garnering a first team All-America nod by USA Today.
“I really wanted to capitalize off the performance I had in Indianapolis,” Paul said. “Critiquing the things I felt I could do better in the linebacker drills, I took that very seriously. Another thing was that I wanted to cheer on my teammates. It’s the last time that I get to compete with them on the field together. I just wanted to be an energy source for them, and I’m happy to be back around my guys.”
Two-year starter JJ Pegues also appeared with his teammates at Pro Day. He matched his performance at the NFL Combine by taking reps on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side of the field, Pegues scored seven rushing touchdowns this season, one shy of tying the NCAA record for most in a season by a primarily defensive player.
“I was looking to show teams that I’m very versatile,” Pegues said. “I can do a lot of things. I feel like I’ve shown that through the drills.
“What’s next for me is just trying to stay in shape and get ready for that moment when my phone gets to ringing. Hopefully, if God allows it, I’ll get drafted."
Jaxson Dart headlined the day's events, as the record-setting quarterback drew eyes with several impressive throwing performances. Ole Miss’ three-year starter behind center capped his career as the winningest QB in program history, registering 28 total wins.
“I’ve grown a lot from a knowledge standpoint, leadership standpoint and obviously in my performance, getting better each and every year,” Dart said. “I took a ton out of coming here and being able to play with the best coaching staff in the country and be developed each and every day. It’s not something where it’s sporadic development, it’s every day. I took pride in that and I think everybody in this facility does.”
Four pass-catchers who helped Dart become one of the best quarterbacks in program history also made appearances at Pro Day: Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, Antwane Wells Jr. and Caden Prieskorn.
Harris was one of the best receivers in the country to start 2024 before an injury sidelined him in the latter half of the season. Despite the injury, Harris was still named a second team All-American by the Associated Press after leading the team in receiving yards (1,030) and receptions (60).
Watkins and Wells picked up the production in the absence of Harris, combining for over 1,400 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on the year.
DT Walter Nolen and CB Trey Amos highlighted the defensive efforts during the Pro Day festivities. Both players have earned first round draft projections after transferring to Ole Miss last season.
Nolen became Ole Miss’ 14th consensus All-American in his lone season in Oxford. He anchored the best rush defense in the nation and one of the best in Ole Miss history. Nolen tallied 48 tackles, tied a team-leading 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
“I feel like I showed everybody today what’s on tape,” Nolen said. “For me, the biggest thing was talking to scouts, giving them a chance to get to know me, and I got to do some more of that today. Overall, I had a pretty good day.”
Amos led the Rebels’ secondary while earning second team All-American nods. He was top five on the team in tackles with 50, 39 of which were solo. Amos paced the team with 13 pass breakups, which is the most by any Rebel since 2015.
Six players ran unofficial sub-4.6 40-yard dash, the fastest coming from defensive backs Trey Washington and Brandon Turnage. The duo tied with an unofficial 4.48 mark, while Turnage also impressed with a 41.5-inch vertical jump. He was the only player north of 40 inches in the event. Turnage spent one season with Ole Miss, where he had 24 tackles with an interception on the season.
Washington spent all four seasons of his collegiate career with Ole Miss, recording 201 career tackles with over half being solo. He had a knack for forcing turnovers, intercepting five passes while forcing three fumbles. He paired his impressive 40 time with a 10-foot-1 broad jump at Pro Day, the third best by any Rebel overall.
At the heart of Ole Miss’ record-setting defense, Chris Paul Jr. also participated in the Pro Day activities. Paul totaled a team-leading 88 tackles last season while garnering a first team All-America nod by USA Today.
“I really wanted to capitalize off the performance I had in Indianapolis,” Paul said. “Critiquing the things I felt I could do better in the linebacker drills, I took that very seriously. Another thing was that I wanted to cheer on my teammates. It’s the last time that I get to compete with them on the field together. I just wanted to be an energy source for them, and I’m happy to be back around my guys.”
Two-year starter JJ Pegues also appeared with his teammates at Pro Day. He matched his performance at the NFL Combine by taking reps on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side of the field, Pegues scored seven rushing touchdowns this season, one shy of tying the NCAA record for most in a season by a primarily defensive player.
“I was looking to show teams that I’m very versatile,” Pegues said. “I can do a lot of things. I feel like I’ve shown that through the drills.
“What’s next for me is just trying to stay in shape and get ready for that moment when my phone gets to ringing. Hopefully, if God allows it, I’ll get drafted."
