Mississippi
Where are Mississippi State Football players projected to go in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The 2024 NFL Draft begins tonight with the next wave of college stars having their pro dreams made reality. And Mississippi State football has a few players that are likely to hear their names called over the next few days.
Where do draft experts project those Bulldogs to land? Let’s take a look at the latest mock drafts and positional rankings.
For our purposes, we’ll use ESPN’s positional rankings and the latest seven-round mock drafts from ESPN and The Athletic.
Most outlets see Decamerion Richardson as the best prospect out of Mississippi State this season. His combination of size and speed has teams intrigued with his potential at corner. Still, his lack of production in college has him projected as a mid-round player.
ESPN ranks Richardson as the 16th best CB in the draft and the 123rd best player overall. Their latest mock draft has him going in the 4th Round to Cincinnati with the 115th pick. The Athletic has Richardson being taken in the 5th Round to the Broncos with the 136th pick.
Jaden Crumedy hopes to further Mississippi State’s case as “D-Line U”. The big run-stopper can play both inside and outside along the defensive line. He’s likely to be a late-round selection in the draft.
ESPN rates him as the 20th best defensive tackle and 204th best prospect overall. Interestingly, their latest mock doesn’t have him being taken, but that’s an outlier compared to most mock drafts. The Athletic has him going in the 6th Round to New England with the 180th overall pick.
Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson is a Mississippi State legend. He was a three-year starter for State who finished his career as one of the most productive linebackers in SEC history. Now he’s hoping to make it in the NFL.
While most outlets view Decamerion Richardson as MSU’s best prospect, ESPN actually rates Watson slightly higher. They have his as the 9th best LB and the 121st best prospect. But like Jaden Crumedy, ESPN’s latest seven-round mock draft doesn’t have him being selected. Keep in mind that’s the work of one analyst who, clearly, is lower on Watson than his peers.
ESPN’s lead draft analyst loves him though. Mel Kiper named Bookie his favorite off-ball LB in the draft and believes he will go in the mid-rounds. The Athletic sees him going in the 6th round to Houston, 188th overall.
Tulu Griffin is the last Bulldog with a realistic shot at being drafted. He’s an explosive play-maker that can be deadly in open space off of screens and reverses, and as Mississippi State fans know, he’s an elite kick returner. Griffin has a shot to make it at the next level as a special teams star and occasional gadget player on offense.
ESPN rates him as the 34th best WR prospect and 274th overall. As you can imagine, he’s not currently projected to be drafted in ESPN’s latest mock. But the Athletic does have him being selected. They have him going in the 7th Round to Green Bay with the 245th pick.
Mississippi
Death investigation underway after Columbia Academy graduate taken off life support in Florida
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WDAM) – A death investigation has been opened after deputies in Florida responded to a life-threatening call involving a recent Columbia Academy graduate.
WDAM’s sister station, WJHG, reported that the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said Shannon Thomas Tanner, 19, was expected to be taken off of life support Wednesday after being declared brain dead.
According to the incident report obtained by WJHG, on Sunday, May 18, deputies arrived at a home in Panama City Beach and were told that Tanner had been drinking alcohol.
The report says an investigator asked someone at the home what happened, with the person telling the investigator that Tanner was “drinking too much.” EMS reportedly treated Tanner on scene.
BCSO is investigating the death of a 19-year-old from Mississippi
The cause of the medical emergency has not been confirmed, and the investigation is ongoing.
According to a GoFundMe set up to help with funeral expenses, Tanner was on his senior trip after graduating from Columbia Academy.
Columbia Academy made a Facebook post expressing its condolences for the family, saying the recent graduate was “the kind of person who can make anyone laugh, light up a room with his personality and dance moves, and make others feel valued simply by being himself.”
Return to WDAM 7 for updates on this developing story.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi State softball vs Oklahoma prediction: Can Bulldogs shock OU?
Mississippi State softball is one step away from reaching the program’s first Women’s College World Series.
But to get there, the Bulldogs (41-18) will have to get through one of the top programs in the sport.
MSU is facing Oklahoma (51-8), the No. 3 national seed, in the NCAA Tournament super regional. The best-of-three series begins May 22 (noon, ESPN2) at Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
Here is a scouting report and prediction for the super regional.
Oklahoma easily won its regional
The Sooners breezed through the Norman Regional, outscoring Binghamton, Kansas and Michigan 28-1 in three games.
That wasn’t much of a surprise for a team that’s made nine consecutive Women’s College World Series and hasn’t missed a super regional since 2009. Oklahoma has won eight national championships, seven of them since 2013.
Oklahoma is 27-1 at home this season, with the only loss to Arkansas on April 18.
Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts played at Oklahoma from 2006-09 and then was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma from 2009-11.
MSU is 0-11 all time against Oklahoma.
Oklahoma led by Kendall Wells’ 37 home runs
The offense has been Oklahoma’s strength, especially from a power standpoint. The Sooners have hit 182 home runs in 2026, the second most in the country behind UCLA and 80 more than the next best SEC team.
Freshman Kendall Wells has 37 home runs, the most in program and SEC history. Four other players have at least 19 home runs.
The Sooners also rank first in the SEC in batting average and runs scored.
Oklahoma’s pitching staff ranks eighth in the SEC with a 3.02 ERA.
Can Alyssa Faircloth continue dominance vs Oklahoma?
A big part of Mississippi State winning the Eugene Regional was Alyssa Faircloth’s dominant pitching. She threw 15⅔ shutout innings in the regional. That included a no-hitter against host Oregon and then another complete-game shutout against Saint Mary’s in the regional final.
The Troy transfer and SEC Newcomer of the Year has a 2.28 ERA and 16-7 record. Her 261 strikeouts are a single-season program record.
The Bulldogs, who rank third in the SEC in team ERA at 2.15, also have Peja Goold, who started the first game of the Eugene Regional. She has a 2.12 ERA and 15-10 record.
Mississippi State vs OU softball super regional prediction
Oklahoma wins super regional 2-0: The Sooners are a big step up in competition. Faircloth and Goold give MSU a chance, but the offense will need to keep up.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball vs Missouri in SEC Tournament game time, TV set
HOOVER, AL — There was an upset in the first game of the SEC Tournament.
No. 8 seed Mississippi State (39-16) will play No. 16 Missouri (24-30) in the second round after the Tigers defeated No. 9 Ole Miss 10-8 on May 19.
First pitch on May 20 will be at 9:30 a.m. The game will air on SEC Network.
The Bulldogs, led by new coach Brian O’Connor, did not play Missouri this season. They swept the Tigers last season, scoring 50 runs in the series.
When is Mississippi State baseball vs Missouri?
Mississippi State versus Missouri in the SEC Tournament is at 9:30 a.m. CT on May 20. It is the first of four SEC Tournament games for the day.
The winner will play No. 1 Georgia (43-12) on May 21 at 3 p.m..
Mississippi State baseball vs Missouri TV channel
Mississippi State versus Missouri will air on SEC Network.
Streaming is available via Fubo.
SEC Tournament schedule
All times Central
Tuesday, May 19
- Game 1: 16-seed Missouri 10, 9-seed Ole Miss 8, 9:30 a.m. on SEC Network
- Game 2: 12-seed Vanderbilt vs. 13-seed Kentucky, approx. 1 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 3: 10-seed Tennessee vs. 15-seed South Carolina, approx. 4:30 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 4: 11-seed Oklahoma vs. 14-seed LSU, approx. 8 p.m. on SEC Network
Wednesday, May 20
- Game 5: 8-seed Mississippi State vs. 16-seed Missouri, 9:30 a.m. on SEC Network
- Game 6: 5-seed Florida vs. Game 2 winner, approx. 1 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 7: 7-seed Arkansas vs. Game 3 winner, approx. 4:30 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 8: 6-seed Auburn vs. Game 4 winner, approx. 8 p.m. on SEC Network
Thursday, May 21
- Game 9: 1-seed Georgia vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 10: 4-seed Alabama vs. Game 6 winner, approx. 7 p.m. on SEC Network
Friday, May 22
- Game 11: 2-seed Texas vs. Game 7 winner, 3 p.m. on SEC Network
- Game 12: 3-seed Texas A&M vs. Game 8 winner, approx. 7 p.m. on SEC Network
Saturday, May 23
- Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, noon on SEC Network
- Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, approx. 4 p.m. on SEC Network
Sunday, May 24
Championship Game: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 1 p.m. on ABC
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
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