Two Nebraska natives and one Husker heard their names called during the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh over the weekend. Additionally, eight others signed undrafted free agent deals.
Draft Picks
Nate Boerkircher, TE, 2nd Round, Pick 56, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Aurora product started his career as a walk-on at Nebraska before transferring to Texas A&M for his final season of eligibility. He played in 13 games with eight starts for the Aggies, catching 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns while run-blocking on more than half his snaps.
“We had a lot of belief in who Nate was, and it’s kind of our process of evaluating tape and watching him play,” Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said after Boerkircher’s three-catch, 40-yard, one-touchdown performance against South Carolina. “There were some other kids in the portal that honestly we felt like he was a much better player than, so we went after him really hard. We thought he was going to be able to give us a little bit of both (blocking and receiving). He obviously is a more physical kid than he is a wide-open wide receiver, pass-catching type, but we knew he had really good hands, we knew he could play tight end, run routes, and catch the ball.”
In his four seasons with the Huskers, Boerkircher caught 19 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown while appearing in 39 games. Nebraska put him on scholarship during his sophomore season.
At the NFL Combine, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound athlete ran a 4.78 40-yard dash and posted a 32-inch vertical jump, ranking in the top 12% of all tight ends since 1987 in Relative Athletic Score.
Emmett Johnson, RB, 5th Round, Pick 161, Kansas City Chiefs
The Husker running back was one of the breakout stars of the college football season in his final year as a Husker. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound tailback earned Big Ten Running Back of the Year and became Nebraska’s first All-American since Lavonte David in 2011.
As a junior, he started all 12 regular season games. Johnson rushed for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns on 251 carries. He also proved his dual-threat ability with 46 receptions for 370 yards and three more scores. Johnson led the Huskers in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and receptions. He totaled Nebraska’s most yards from scrimmage and all-purpose yards with 1,821.
“I personally believe Emmett Johnson should be a Heisman candidate, I think he should be a Doak Walker finalist if not winner,” Coach Matt Rhule said on Nov. 10. “I think what he’s doing is fantastic. I hope people appreciate seeing him. He’s a first-team All-American … I’m really, really proud of Emmett and his character.”
Cole Payton, QB, 5th Round, Pick 178, Philadelphia Eagles
The Omaha Westside product made the most of his lone seasons as the starting quarterback at North Dakota State. He set the Bison single-season records for quarterback rating (193.8), yards-per-pass (12.1), total offensive yards per game (268.9) and yards per play (9.71). The Omaha native also finished third in voting for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the offensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Payton guided the Bison to a 12-1 record while passing for 1,719 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. He was also impactful on the ground, rushing for 777 yards and 13 scores on 136 carries.
His performance earned him an invitation to the Combine where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds while leaping 40 inches in the vertical jump. His testing results ranked him fourth out 1,054 quarterbacks in RAS since 1987, proving he is a truly elite athlete for his position.
Payton is the fifth straight North Dakota State starting quarterback drafted, joining Carson Wentz (2016), fellow Omaha native Easton Stick (2019), Trey Lance (2021) and Cam Miller (2025).
“I certainly hope that he finds an organization that values his unique skill set,” former Westside head coach Brett Froendt told Hurrdat Sports prior to the draft. “Once he is a part of an organization, they will learn quickly what an asset he will be in the locker room, in meeting rooms and on the field. I hope he fits into an organization that will take the time to develop him into a starting NFL QB. Few left-handers have had long-term success in the NFL, but his determination is from another planet.
“I deeply believe in his ability to achieve any goal he sets, as he’s always made everything happen he has worked for.”
Undrafted Free Agent Signings
Ceyair Wright, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
Wright played two seasons at Nebraska after transferring from USC. In his senior season, he played in all 13 games with nine starts. The Los Angeles native totaled 29 tackles and led the Huskers in pass breakups with five.
“Whoever drafts him or gets him is going to get one heck of a football player,” Rhule told Hurrdat Sports Live on April 21. “One of the best leaders I’ve been around, a guy that came here as sort of a young man and is leaving now as a grown man. Why aren’t they all looking for grown men? That’s what I’m talking about. Ceyair, I think he’s a guy that has outside-inside flexibility, can play in the slot, at nickel, he can play outside at corner, he can play on special teams. I think he’s a pro; he’ll play for a long time.”
Dane Key, WR, Denver Broncos
As a senior, Key played in all 13 games with 12 starts. The receiver totaled 39 catches for 452 yards and five touchdowns. He tied junior wide receiver Nyziah Hunter for the team lead in touchdown receptions and was third in receiving yards. He began his career at Kentucky where he spent three years before joining the Huskers.
Dasan McCullghough, EDGE, Denver Broncos
McCullough played one season with the Huskers. The Kansas City, Kan., native played in 11 games with seven starts. He racked up 21 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and one pass breakup.
DeShon Singleton, S, Kansas City Chiefs
Singleton played in and started all 12 regular season games for Nebraska in 2025. He was an All-Big-Ten honorable mention selection. The senior totaled four tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery while finishing first on the team in interceptions with two, second in tackles with 70 and third in pass breakups with four.
Henry Lutovsky, OG, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He started all 13 games at left guard as a senior and helped pave the way for Emmett Johnson’s prolific season. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound interior lineman from Crawfordsville, Iowa, appeared in 51 games with 28 starts during his five seasons as a Husker, including a redshirt year in 2021.
Javin Wright, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wright spent seven years with Nebraska. He played in 12 games with 11 starts as a senior. The Chandler, Ariz., native led the team in tackles (86), tackles for loss (9.0) and sacks (3.0). He was also second on the team in interceptions (one) and third in pass breakups (four).
Alex Bullock, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Creighton prep graduate joined Nebraska as a walk-on in 2021 and spent four seasons with the Huskers before transferring to South Dakota State for his senior season. He made the most of his lone season as a Jackrabbit, catching 71 passes for 936 yards and five touchdowns.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound wideout played in 27 games during his four seasons with the Huskers, logging two starts, 16 receptions and 233 yards while also contributing as a blocker and on special teams.
Sabastian Harsh, DE, Houston Texans
The Scottsbluff graduate spent four seasons at Wyoming before transferring to North Carolina State for his final year. He played in all 13 games with the Wolfpack in 2025 while recording 41 tackles including 7.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
He appeared in 33 games across four seasons with the Cowboys, totaling 97 tackles (17.5 for loss) and 4.5 sacks.
