The Missouri Tigers don’t resemble an SEC powerhouse. They haven’t boasted a winning record since 2018, and they’ve only managed that four times since joining the SEC in 2012. Additionally, they haven’t had a winning record in conference play since 2014, when they finished 11-3. But that won’t keep them from boasting some NFL Draft talent for the upcoming season.
Missouri Tigers Roster and Depth Chart Changes
The Tigers’ offseason was a bit of a mixed bag. They lost star receiver Dominic Lovett, but they added two impressive offensive tackles in Houston’s Cam’Ron Johnson and Eastern Michigan’s Marcellus Johnson. They also added Theo Wease from Oklahoma, a wide receiver who was the 37th-ranked recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports.
The team also added Sidney Williams and Triston Newson to bolster the linebacking corps and former four-star recruit Tre’Vez Johnson at safety.
Missouri Tigers NFL Draft Prospects
Kris Abrams-Draine, CB
The Tigers cornerback is a bit difficult to get a great read on as a next-level defender because of his general assignment in the Mizzu defense. The cornerbacks often play more than 10 yards off the ball and with little help from anyone else defensively in what ends up looking like a match Cover 3 more often than not.
While that general look isn’t unique defensively, few play their CBs at that depth, and it puts Kris Abrams-Draine in some very difficult spots. However, he displays a nice click-and-close ability, particularly on third downs when he’s expecting the route to break by the sticks. He’s explosive and heady when sneaking a paw into the passing lane.
Ty’Ron Hopper, LB
There are other players on the Tigers’ defense that are more highly regarded than the team’s leading linebacker, but I’m not sure that should be the case.
Ty’Ron Hopper possesses the innate ability to nearly always take the correct pursuit angle and, along his pursuit route, make opposing blockers miss the mark when climbing to the second level.
Despite being undersized, he possesses the violence necessary to put up a fight when blockers do meet him straight on. Additionally, although he possesses an underdeveloped pass-rushing repertoire, he is productive in that area because he has a battery that would make any electric vehicle in production blush.
To be a consistent linebacker at the NFL level, he will need to better pair his natural instincts with assignment-sound play, but he seems the type that could flourish immediately as a special teams player.
Jaylon Carlies, S
The NFL is moving toward more and more safeties playing on the field at one time, leaving linebackers on the sidelines. They are sacrificing a bit against the run for the greater good of defending the middle of the field against the pass.
Carlies could see a similar trajectory to Dallas Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse at the next level — a safety in designation but with alignment and usage like a linebacker. Listed at 6-foot-3, 219 pounds, Carlies is already near the linebacker mark from a listed height/weight combination, but his frame is not like that of a linebacker. He’s lanky, and that length can be used as a weapon in man coverage against tight ends if his lower half is able to keep up and mirror.
Other Notable Names
- Javon Foster, OT
- Darius Robinson, DT
- Theo Wease, WR
Missouri Tigers Schedule
- Week 1
Aug. 31: vs. South Dakota Coyotes - Week 2
Sept. 9: vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders - Week 3
Sept. 16: vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Week 4
Sept. 23: vs. Memphis Tigers (Neutral Site) - Week 5
Sept. 30: at Vanderbilt Commodores - Week 6
Oct. 7: vs. LSU Tigers - Week 7
Oct. 14: at Kentucky Wildcats - Week 8
Oct. 21: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks - Week 9
BYE - Week 10
Nov. 4: at Georgia Bulldogs - Week 11
Nov. 11: vs. Tennessee Volunteers - Week 12
Nov. 18: vs. Florida Gators - Week 13
Nov. 24: at Arkansas Razorbacks - Week 14
BYE - Week 15
BYE
