Kirk Herbstreit did not need to wait for the NFL draft prep to know Trinidad Chambliss was turning heads in the pros. The text messages were blowing up his phone while the game was still going on. That is a massive statement for a quarterback now valued at roughly $5 million in the NIL market, especially one who had to take the long, painful path to the SEC after being ignored out of high school.

On the latest episode of his Nonstop YouTube series, Kirk Herbstreit revealed that NFL owners and general managers were texting him while Trinidad Chambliss was playing. 

“It’s becoming a consensus that Trinidad Chambliss is at the top of this group,” the ESPN analyst said. “I had NFL people texting me, owners, GMs during the game about this guy. I mean, he’s obviously got their attention. I’ll be really interested if he’s 5’11, six feet tall.”

How tall is he, really? Ole Miss lists Trinidad Chambliss at 6-foot, 210 pounds. Other draft listings have him closer to 6’1, while some evaluators have questioned whether his actual height is nearer to 5’11. For Kirk Herbstreit, that could become the one box the QB cannot completely control.

Co-host Joey Galloway pushed the point further. He likes what he sees on tape. The concern is what happens when NFL teams stop watching September games and start measuring prospects in April.

“Is his height going to give pause?” he said. “It’s one thing to say this in September. It’s a whole another thing to say it in April when now it’s time to start making these selections and making picks. I watch him play, and amazing. Love the kid. If he’s 6’2, wrap it up, and we’re done with the conversation.”

The height skepticism around Trinidad Chambliss is nothing new for the NFL. Front offices asked the exact same questions about Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson before they proved that elite field vision beats raw stature.

Just like Murray’s pre-draft process in 2019, Chambliss’s actual tape shows a playmaker who consistently finds passing lanes and handles SEC pass rushes, making his height less of a physical limitation and more of a wild card that could either slide him down draft boards or make some general manager look like a genius.

That sounds simple, but it gets at the heart of Trinidad Chambliss’ NFL evaluation. The production is difficult to ignore. Through three games this season, he has thrown for 924 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 70% of his passes. He has also added 64 rushing yards and two touchdowns. And this is not some sudden three-game explosion from an unknown QB.

Trinidad Chambliss arrived at Ole Miss after starring at Division II Ferris State. He eventually became the Rebels’ starter and turned that opportunity into a breakout 2025 season, throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns. Kirk Herbstreit sees more than numbers.

“I just feel like the game has changed so much,” he said. “I wouldn’t be hesitant if, let’s say, you line up every box that you want to check on quarterback processing/decision-making, double-check. Accuracy, double-check. Leadership, double-check. ‘It’ factor, double-check.”

That is the argument Trinidad Chambliss is building every Saturday. The height question is legit, but so is everything he keeps putting on film. His performance against LSU on Sept. 19 only added to it. He completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another rushing score in Ole Miss’ 32-24 victory.

Kirk Herbstreit said Trinidad Chambliss came back with a second- to fifth-round grade, but there was more to it than the draft. He wanted another shot at winning with the Rebels. Now, after getting another year of eligibility, he is 3-0 and has his name popping up in both the Heisman and 2027 NFL Draft talk.

Now the stakes have changed. Trinidad Chambliss is no longer simply the former Division II QB who got an unexpected SEC opportunity. He’s got the NFL attention and it’s not hard to see why. He led FBS starters in EPA per pressured attempt last season at .16, far ahead of Jayden Maiava’s .02, and ranked second in third-and-long conversions at 43.1%. 

When the draft conversation eventually arrives, one measurement may be discussed almost as much as everything else. For now, Trinidad Chambliss keeps giving them reasons to watch.