The annual NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23rd to April 25th. While no former Husker players are projected as first-round picks, there are a few names to monitor as the draft continues throughout the weekend.
Emmett Johnson (RB): Johnson is expected to be the first Husker taken by an NFL team. He was a workhorse back for Nebraska and the leading rusher in the BIG10 for the 2025 season. He was the BIG10 Running Back of the Year, who was mentioned at times for the Heisman in 2025, although he was not ultimately finalist. Experts predict he will go in the third or fourth round, solidifying him as a Day 2 pick. EPSN’s Matt Miller predicted him to go in round 3 to the Jaguars. He is considered one of the best backs in the class.
Ceyair Wright (DB): The USC transfer who played his final two seasons as a Husker and was a key piece of the Huskers’ secondary. He is projected to be a 6th rounder, with a chance of being an undrafted free agent.
DeShon Singleton (S): Singleton had a shot to declare for the draft last year, but instead he came back to help the Husker’s defense one more year. He is a big-framed safety who has a lot of experience playing in the box. Critics say he lacks some quickness to play versus top NFL receivers. He is also projected to be taken in the 6th round or later, with the chance of being an undrafted free agent.
Other names that appear to have a chance to get camp invites as undrafted free agents include Dane Key (WR), Turner Corcoran (OT) and Dasan McCullough (LB/EDGE).
The only Husker I feel confident that will be drafted next week is Emmett Johnson. This is, of course, well earned and deserved by him.
It is fair to point out the lack of draft talent coming out of Nebraska in Matt Rhule’s third year. The nature of rosters has changed with the transfer portal, but I would hope as Rhule’s tenure continues that those numbers increase in the future.