Ahmad Hudson

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-6, 225 lbs. Taller than 85% and heavier than 35% of 2027 Tight End prospects in the SEC Scouts database (20 with a listed size).

Play Style

He plays as a big receiver rather than a lineman who catches passes. Ruston moves him all over the formation to create mismatches, and he does his best work on seam routes and in the middle of the field, where his size lets him catch the ball away from his body and shield defenders. He tracks deep balls like a rebounder, with good timing and late hands, and he is a physical runner after the catch who is hard for defensive backs to bring down. As a blocker he is willing and effective at sealing edges from a flexed position, but he wins with length and effort more than technique when he is lined up tight to the formation.

Strengths

• Rare size plus athleticism: at 6-6.5 and roughly 240 pounds he moves like a much smaller player. 247Sports' Gabe Brooks calls him a 'matchup nightmare in the passing game' whom linebackers can't run with and safeties can't physically handle.
• Proven big-game production: he had 61 catches for 960 yards and 12 TDs in 14 games as a junior in 2025, was named MVP of the LA Division I Non-Select title game (6-169-1) despite a Ruston loss, and was a first-team MaxPreps Junior All-American.
• Basketball skills that carry over to football: body control, timing at the high point, and boxing out defenders give him a huge catch radius and make him hard to stop in the red zone and on seam routes.
• Can line up anywhere: ESPN projects him as an 'H' tight end, and he already plays in-line, flexed as a slot or wing, and split out wide. That makes him a mismatch piece for spread offenses at the next level.

Areas to Improve

• In-line blocking is still potential rather than a finished skill (Brooks's evaluation). He needs to improve his hand placement, pad level and leg drive to hold up against Power 4 defensive ends and outside linebackers as a Y tight end.
• Football development time: a two-sport schedule has cost him spring football work and visits (both planned Nebraska trips this spring were cancelled because of basketball). His route detail, releases against press coverage and year-round strength training are behind a football-only prospect's.
• Commitment and focus risk: he wants to play both sports and has publicly criticized LSU's recruiting effort, so both his college destination and whether football stays his primary sport are unresolved.

College Projection

Likely contributor as a true freshman in 12-personnel (two-tight-end) sets and as a red-zone and third-down receiving threat, with a starting role as the H or move tight end by year two. Year one should focus on in-line blocking, strength and route polish. If he plays basketball in college as well, which Nebraska is offering, expect slower football development and a limited first-year role. At LSU under Kiffin, whose offense regularly features tight ends, he projects as a primary target by 2028-29.

NFL Outlook

High ceiling as a first-round prospect. He is the size and movement type the NFL values most right now (a 6-6, 245-pound tight end who can be moved around the formation), and 247Sports cites 'significant long-term pro potential.' Where he gets drafted depends on how well he can block in-line and on whether he commits fully to football. If he plays football only and becomes at least an adequate blocker, a Round 1-2 projection after his third college season is realistic. If he stays a two-sport player, his development timeline and draft stock become harder to predict.

Best Fit

An offense that moves its tight ends around the formation and uses them as primary downfield targets, such as a spread-to-pro hybrid with plenty of 12 personnel, seam and RPO concepts, and a coaching staff patient with his blocking development. LSU under Kiffin fits the scheme well and has in-state pull, with the recent hire of Ed Orgeron as a recruiter as part of the appeal. Nebraska's pitch is the most concrete two-sport plan: Hoiberg publicly wants him on the basketball team. Which offer he takes likely depends on how much weight he gives basketball.