Brenen Thompson is a wide receiver from Mississippi State University. He is 5’9 and 164 pounds. He is from Spearman, TX, and attended Spearman HS. He originally attended Texas after high school, then transferred to Oklahoma, and then transferred to Mississippi St for his final year. Thompson was awarded 2025 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, 2025 All-American Honorable Mention, 2025 CBS Top 150 Players (#101), 2025 All-SEC Second Team, 2025 All-SEC Third Team, WR (Coaches Poll), and 2022 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He also ran track while he attended Texas. He sustained an undisclosed injury against Missouri that caused him to miss the second half of the 2025 game. At Oklahoma, he suffered an ankle injury against Alabama in 2024 and missed most of the first half of the 2023 season.
The first thing that pops out about Thompson is his speed. He is the fastest guy on the field. He is able to get vertical, which would make him a serious threat at the next level. He also proved his quickness by running one of the fastest times at the 2026 NFL Combine with a 4.26 40-yard dash. Defenders will have to respect his speed, especially on go balls. Corners guarding him will most likely need safety help over the top when guarding him, so Cover 1 and Cover 0 will not prove effective against him. He also does a good job of tracking a deep ball when thrown his way. He is also able to locate the football while keeping his stride and not slowing down. He also has active feet when breaking his routes, and his speed also helps create good separation. Thompson also does a good job of beating DBs in press coverage using his speed. Thompson also showed this past year that he can still produce even without the best quarterback play. He is one of the most explosive receivers in this year’s draft, as the seven touchdowns he scored in college went for more than 40 yards, and he averaged 18.49 yards per catch.
He has a smaller frame for his position. He is 5 ‘9, 164 pounds, so if bigger defenders put their hands on him in press coverage, he will have a tougher time getting free and creating separation. He also has a limited route tree. He runs an excellent go-ball route but struggles with other routes. When running curl routes, he takes too many steps when turning around. Thompson also has a limited catch radius. On film, he really doesn’t extend his arms to catch the football. His yards-after-catch ability on short and intermediate routes is also limited. That’s surprising considering his speed, but on tape, he does not gain that many yards after catching the ball.
Overall, Thompson is a fast receiver who needs to expand his route tree to sustain success at the NFL level.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit:
Thompson fits with a team that uses a lot of jet sweeps and end-around plays. He will also need to go to a team that’s willing to scheme him open due to his limited route tree. The Rams, 49ers, and Chargers would be a good fit.
NFL Player Comp: Mecole Hardman
They both have similar builds and track speeds.
Projection: Backup/Special Teamer
He will be a backup player, but could provide production on special teams, especially on punt return, because of his speed.
Grade and Round Projection: 3.5, Round 3-6 Pick
I initially graded him at 3.3 but rounded him to a 3.5. I believe he will be a late Day 2 pick or a Day 3 pick.
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