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For the 21st consecutive year, the Missouri Tigers had at least one player drafted. For the second consecutive year, the Tigers produced a first-round pick and for the first time in program history, the Tigers produced two picks in the top two rounds in consecutive seasons.
The Tigers have now had 31 players drafted since 2015 and 17 taken since the start of Eliah Drinkwitz’ tenure in Columbia.
Missouri had three players chosen to head to the NFL, as well as an additional six who signed un-drafted free agent deals or were invited to rookie mini camp quickly after.
First off, Armand Membou became the Tigers’ eighth top-10 pick in program history, first since Blaine Gabbert (10) and Aldon Smith (7) were picked in the top 10 in 2011 and highest lineman drafted since Russ Washington was picked fourth overall in 1968.
Membou was selected seventh by the New York Jets, where he is projected to jump into the starting offensive line at his natural right tackle.
Membou went from a three-star high school prospect out of Kansas City to declaring for the draft after his junior season and tying with Aldon Smith for the third highest spot a Tiger has ever been selected (both Washington and Justin Smith were picked fourth as the only players selected higher).
Luther Burden then became the second Tiger receiver ever taken in the second round when he was selected with the seventh pick of the second round (39th overall) by the Chicago Bears.
After just three years, Burden leaves Columbia as one of the best receivers in program history, being selected two spots ahead of Dorial Green-Beckham (41st overall) in 2015, while the lone first-round receiver in program history was Jeremy Maclin (19th overall) in 2009.
Burden joins the Bears in a young core of skill position players led by last year’s No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, along with DJ Moore and last year’s No. 9 pick Rome Odunze.
Left tackle Marcus Bryant was the final Tiger taken when the New England Patriots selected him with the fourth pick of the seventh round. Bryant went 220th overall.
The 6-foot-7, 317-pound offensive lineman spent four years at SMU before transferring to Missouri for his final season of college football.
He struggled a bit early in the season, especially during the early portions of SEC play, but quickly got adjusted and produced four games of one or no pressures allowed to finish his tenure in Columbia.
The Patriots used the fourth overall pick of the draft on left tackle Will Campbell from LSU, the first lineman off the board, so it is unlikely Bryant will be much more than a backup at that spot, though the Patriots had trouble at many positions on the line last season and Bryant could shift around.
After the draft concluded, it didn’t take long to start getting Tigers signing un-drafted free agent deals.
Quarterback Brady Cook is headed to New York to join Membou with the Jets.
Cook leaves Missouri with 9,013 passing yards, 49 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while adding 1,209 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He had 300 or more yards of total offense in 11 games, including a career high of 404 against LSU in 2023. He is No. 3 in program history in passing yards and 200+ passing yard games (26), No. 4 in total offense and No. 5 in passing touchdowns. He became the first Tiger to produce 9,000 or more passing yards and 1,000 or more rushing yards in a career and joined Daniel, Brad Smith and Lock as the only players in Missouri history with 10,000 yards of total offense.
The Jets have a quarterback room led by Justin Fields with Tyrod Taylor as the primary backup, Jordan Travis as the third string and Adrian Martinez and Cook after that.
That’s a lot of journeymen who have never really hooked into a spot, leaving the possibility for Cook to mark out a role with enough work.
Theo Wease signed a deal to join the Miami Dolphins.
Wease spent two strong seasons in Columbia as the second target behind Burden, now he will go to a stacked receiver room led by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, as well as Malik Washington, Dee Eskridge, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Erik Ezukanma, Tarik Black and Andrew Armstrong.
Wease will catch passes in camp from Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson.
Running back Nate Noel will join the Dolphins as well.
In just one season with the Tigers, Noel amassed 818 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but missed multiple games in the middle of the season and played through an injury that hampered his production through October and early November.
Noel will join a running back room led by De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright as well as sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon out of Oklahoma State and long-tenured back Alexander Mattison.
Johnny Walker Jr. won’t have to travel quite as far to find his new team as he just has to head west to join the Denver Broncos.
In 40 career games, Walker produced 103 tackles, 26.0 for loss, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He had 28 games with more than two tackles and four with more than five tackles. He had at least one tackle in his final 29 career games.
Walker leaves Missouri seventh on the Tiger career sack leaderboard.
Walker will join a defensive end room led by Zach Allen and John Franlkin-Myers, with Sai’vion Jones, Jordan Jackson, Matt Henningsen and Eyioma Uwazurike in front of him. He will also reunite with Tiger teammates Kris Abrams-Draine and Tyler Badie.
Long snapper Trey Flint was invited to the Kansas City Chiefs’ rooking mini camp.
Flint spent two seasons with the Tigers after playing for Ouachita Baptist for four seasons. He was the Tigers’ snapper on place kicks the past two seasons.
The Chiefs have had James Winchester as their long snapper since he joined the team in 2015 and he signed an extension in March.
Offensive lineman Cam’Ron Johnson was invited to the Cleveland Browns’ rookie minicamp as well.
Johnson spent two seasons at Missouri after playing for four years at Houston.
He started 12-of-13 games at right guard in 2023 and 2024.
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