Four former University of Mississippi football players participated in the recent NFL Conference Championships, all competing in the AFC championship game. Ben Brown, an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, will advance to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.
Brown is a Vicksburg native who played at St. Aloysius High School and was recognized as Mississippi’s top offensive tackle in 2017. He also received second team Small School All-American honors from MaxPreps and first team All-State by the Clarion Ledger. At Ole Miss, Brown started 34 games between 2018 and 2020 before an injury ended his streak during his senior season. In this NFL season with New England, he started four games and played every offensive snap, earning a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 66.8, which ranked third among AFC East guards with at least 300 snaps.
In addition to Brown, three other Ole Miss alumni played for the Denver Broncos in the same game. Tight end Evan Engram caught two passes for nineteen yards and earned a PFF offense grade of 71.7—second highest on Denver’s offense during the game.
Defensive tackle D.J. Jones finished with six tackles, one-and-a-half sacks—a new career high—two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore made one catch for four yards.
These performances highlight continued contributions from former Ole Miss Rebels athletes in professional football.
