Brenen Thompson WR Mississippi State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #0 ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.26 seconds (99%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.0 DOB: 07/25/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #0 | |
| ROLE: Outside X-Receiver | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.26 seconds (99%*) | |
| Age: 23.0 DOB: 07/25/2003 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.7 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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83% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 111.5 | |
| Hands: |
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70% |
| Short Receiving: |
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80% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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85% |
| Deep Threat: |
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87% |
| Blocking: |
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63% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#84
Position rank:
#19 (WR)
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| College Games: 35 College Snaps: 1318 | ||
ESPN RATING: 83/100
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247 RATING: 94/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.9 (97%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rondale Moore - Purdue |
|
79% |
| Jacob Cowing - Arizona |
|
78% |
| Tutu Atwell - Louisville |
|
76% |
Drafted: ROUND: 4 - Pick Number: 105 (LAC)
Draft Profile: Bio
Spearman, Texas, sits in the northern Panhandle with a population under 3,500, but it produced one of the fastest football players in the 2022 recruiting class. Brenen Thompson was a four-star recruit and decorated track star who won gold in the Texas Class 3A 200-meter dash (21.27) and silver in the 100 (10.40) as a junior, earned First-Team All-State honors on the football field, and was selected for the 2022 Under Armour Next All-America Game.Thompson signed with Texas but saw minimal action as a true freshman, then transferred to Oklahoma for 2023 and 2024. Ankle and hamstring problems limited him to six games as a sophomore, and his junior year produced just 19 catches across 11 games behind a crowded depth chart. He followed Jeff Lebby to Mississippi State for a final season and finally got his shot.
In 2025, Thompson posted 57 receptions for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns, shattering Mississippi State's single-season receiving record. His 18.5 yards per catch led power conference receivers nationally. He earned Second-Team All-SEC honors, accepted a Senior Bowl invite, and ran a 4.26 at the NFL Combine, the third-fastest 40 by a wide receiver since 2003.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- The 4.26 at the Combine confirmed what the tape showed: historically rare speed at the position.
- Hits top speed fast and holds it through the catch point without drifting off his line.
- Deep ball tracking looks natural, comfortable catching over his shoulder at full sprint.
- Cracked 1,000 yards in the SEC despite inconsistent quarterback play that left production on the field.
- The nine-route threat forces safety help every snap. Cannot be singled outside without risk.
- Quick feet and active hands at the line help him slip press before bigger corners lock on.
- Flashed real deceleration on double moves, freezing defensive backs who bail too early.
- Crossing routes become runways. Tough to corral once he catches the ball with a head of steam.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Measured 5-9 and 164 pounds at the Combine. Real durability flags for a 17-game season.
- Contested catch production is poor, converting roughly a third of contested opportunities.
- Route-running lacks polish beyond vertical concepts. Coasts into breaks instead of snapping them off.
- Drop rate ticked up during the breakout year. Hands get unreliable outside his frame.
- Run-after-catch on short and intermediate stuff is underwhelming on hitches and screens.
- At 164 pounds, the physicality question extends beyond durability to basic NFL survival.
Scouting Report: Summary
Here is what I keep coming back to after watching Thompson: he does one thing at a ridiculous level, and it is the one thing that never stops being valuable in the NFL. He runs past people. Seven of his ten career touchdowns came on plays of 42-plus yards. The Xavier Worthy comparison is the natural one, and it is fair to a point. Both are slight-framed vertical specialists who ran historic 40 times. But Worthy came out with a more refined route tree and better ball skills. Thompson's contested catch numbers and drop rate sit well below where Worthy's did as a prospect. Still, the 2025 production was real, and he did it with spotty quarterback play that left yards all over the field.Thompson needs an offense built on timing, free releases, and play-action shots. He is not the guy you ask to beat press man on third-and-seven from an iso split. He thrives motioned into clean releases, running posts and deep overs off play-action, hunting soft spots in Cover 2 or getting behind single-high safeties. A system that asks him to run the full route tree from a static alignment against physical corners will expose his limitations quickly.
His ceiling is a productive career built on understanding his lane. His floor is a speedster who fades when teams take away the deep ball. The contested catch numbers, drop rate, and limited route diversity plant him on Day 2. He is not a number-one receiver. He is the piece that makes a number-one receiver's life easier because safeties cannot cheat down when Thompson is on the field. In the right offense, that speed pays for itself.
Brenen Thompson percentiles vs other Wide Receivers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Brenen Thompson (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
119.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
25.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.