The 2024 NFL Draft has officially come to a close, and while only one player with Mississippi ties was selected in the first round, a long list of those connected to the Magnolia State were either selected in the later rounds or picked up as undrafted free agents. The list below goes through which players are set to get a chance at the next level.
J.C. Latham, OL (Alabama/Wiggins) – Tennessee Titans
While Latham’s family moved around quite a bit during his youth, the offensive lineman was born in Mississippi and is widely known as one of Nick Saban’s favorite players to coach during his legendary career. Although Tennessee had been locked and loaded for Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, the Los Angeles Chargers swooped in to make an early steal and forced the Titans to go with Latham at No. 7 overall in round one.
Latham, considered one of the best athletes and run blockers in this year’s draft class, declared for the NFL early after a stellar junior campaign in Tuscaloosa. He had 41 knockdowns across 813 snaps for an average of 3.2 per contest and allowed just two sacks in 408 pass sets.
Trey Benson, RB (Florida State/Greenville) – Arizona Cardinals
The St. Joseph Catholic alum heads to the desert after two years with the Seminoles, finishing with over 2,000 total yards with 24 touchdowns. Deemed the workhorse of the Florida State offense in both 2022 and 2023, Benson was a reliable playmaker who also showed promise returning kickoffs, making him a good pick for Arizona in the second round at No. 66 overall.
Jarrian Jones, DB (Florida State/Magee) – Jacksonville Jaguars
After transferring to Florida State following one season with Mississippi State, Jones had three solid years in Tallahassee finishing with 59 tackles and two interceptions. The defensive back out of Magee High School was selected in the third round at No. 96 overall by the Jaguars, who undoubtedly need help in the secondary.
McKinnley Jackson, DT (Texas A&M/Lucedale) – Cincinnati Bengals
An impressive interior defensive lineman who started all four years for the Aggies, the George County alum did enough in College Station to be drafted in the third round at No. 97 overall. Touted for his quick reaction time, Jackson can dominate the line and could be a great run-stopper with his lengthy wingspan.
Decamerion Richardson, DB (Mississippi State) – Las Vegas Raiders
After a wild offseason in which Richardson announced he was transferring to rival Ole Miss before backing out and declaring for the draft, the Bulldog cornerback was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round at No. 112 overall. During his time in Starkville, Richardson never managed an interception but did lead SEC corners in solo tackles with 106.
Deantre Prince, DB (Ole Miss) – Jacksonville Jaguars
It didn’t take terribly long for another Mississippi corner to come off the board as Prince was selected in the fifth round at No. 153 overall by Jacksonville. Prince, who arguably took a step back in 2023, still had a solid career in Oxford. After a nice freshman campaign that included a pair of interceptions, the Charleston native had to go JUCO for a year to get his grades back on track. Upon returning to Ole Miss, Prince managed 120 tackles, 19 broken-up passes, and four interceptions in his final three years.
Jaden Crumedy, DT (Mississippi State) – Carolina Panthers
The Hattiesburg native had an illustrious, six-year career with the Bulldogs that included 120 tackles and 8.5 sacks across 53 games. A presence in the trenches is exactly what Carolina is looking for, resulting in their selection of Crumedy in the sixth round at No. 200 overall.
Nathaniel Watson, LB (Mississippi State) – Cleveland Browns
The 2023 SEC Defensive Player of the Year led the conference in both tackles and sacks. Known as “Bookie,” Watson is the only SEC player ever to lead the conference in both categories while managing multiple 20-plus tackle performances. Dropping to No. 206 overall in the sixth round, this could end up being a steal of a pick by Cleveland.
Cedric Johnson, DE (Ole Miss) – Cincinnati Bengals
After winning the 2023 Chucky Mullins Award for leadership, the All-SEC edge rusher finished the season with 6.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. Showing speed from the edge during both the 2024 Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, Johnson earned himself a spot in Cincinnati being selected in the sixth round at No. 214 overall.
Daijahn Anthony, DB (Ole Miss) – Cincinnati Bengals
Joining Johnson in Cincinnati is Anthony, who was selected by the Bengals one round later at No. 224 overall. The dual transfer began his career as a walk-on at Shepherd College before ending up at Ole Miss, where he led the team with three interceptions in 2023. Anthony could end up being pivotal as Cincinnati looks to add secondary depth.
Brenden Rice, WR (USC) – Los Angeles Chargers
This one’s a bit of a stretch as Rice did not grow up or play in Mississippi. However, he is the son of Magnolia State great Jerry Rice, so why not throw him in here? The Chargers, possibly banking on genetics, used their seventh-round pick to draft Rice at No. 225 overall. After a futile start to his collegiate career at Colorado, Rice transferred to USC where he rounded out his college career with 12 touchdowns and 791 receiving yards in 2023.
Undrafted free agents
Well, that rounds us out in terms of Mississippi players who actually heard their names called during the 2024 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean others weren’t picked up in the aftermath. As of Sunday night, 18 other players with Magnolia State ties had been signed and will now look to crack the 53-man roster of their respective franchises.
Ole Miss
- Isaac Ukwu, DE – Detroit Lions
- Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, DE – Los Angeles Chargers
- Dayton Wade, WR – Baltimore Ravens
- Zamari Walton, DB – Los Angeles Chargers
- DeShawn Gaddie, Jr., DB – Carolina Panthers
- Spencer Sanders, QB – Kansas City Chiefs (rookie camp only)
Mississippi State
- Marcus Banks, DB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin, WR – Las Vegas Raiders
- Jett Johnson, LB – New York Jets
- Shawn Preston, Jr., DB – New Orleans Saints (rookie camp only)
Southern Miss
- Frank Gore, Jr., RB – Buffalo Bills
- Swayze Bozeman. LB – Kansas City Chiefs
- Briason Mays, OL – San Francisco 49ers
- Latreal Jones, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Other colleges
- John Rhys Plumlee, QB (UCF/Hattiesburg) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jarveon Howard, RB (Alcorn State) – Green Bay Packers
- Fabien Lovett, DL (Florida State/Vicksburg) – Kansas City Chiefs
- Leon Jones, DB (Arkansas State/Hattiesburg) – Chicago Bears
