When I say the word, “cornerback,” who comes to your mind? Deion Sanders? Charles Woodson? Champ Bailey? Willie Brown?
It’s probably the era I grew up in, but Richard Sherman is enshrined in my head forever as the idyllic corner. Tall, physical, fast, braggadocios: He had everything you want for a guy whose job it is to lock up the other team’s best playmaker. Very rarely do you get all the pieces — the talent, the build, the mentality — put together in a package like that.
And while I can’t personally
speak to the mentality of new Mizzou Tiger Sione Laulea, there’s no questioning he’s got the other two down pat.
One of two Oregon Ducks to transfer to Mizzou this offseason, Laulea is the type of player you envision patrolling a secondary. The height, the speed, the leaping ability… it’s easy to get your head in the clouds and envision him locking SEC receivers up in 2026, being a part of yet another fierce Corey Batoon unit.
But it’s not always as easy as that, is it? If he’s so special, why is he now in Columbia instead of sticking in Eugene with a perennial playoff contender?
Where He Fits
So here’s the thing about Laulea in case you didn’t already know: Our guy is massive for a cornerback. At 6’4” and 196, Laulea will tower over almost every receiver he matches up against. Bonus: he’s got the athleticism to match up with most of them too. Everything about Laulea’s scouting report screams coverage corner and potentially a really, really good one.
And while Laulea didn’t get a ton of playing time in Eugene – he logged 116 snaps in 2025 – he’s no slouch from a grading perspective. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 77 on the season, with a 76.7 coverage grade. Both of those scores were even higher in more limited action in 2024. The only knock on his scouting report is some weak tackling, which can be corrected with some coaching.
As for why Laulea was buried on the Oregon depth chart it’s hard to say. The Ducks were stacked at corner this past season and perhaps Lanning just wanted different traits from his starters. But there’s no denying the athletic and physical tools are there for Laulea to put together a critical final campaign for his NFL hopes.
When He Plays
Ideally? Immediately and often. Laulea is one of a few cornerbacks the Mizzou staff brought in during the window, so competition for starting snaps will be fierce. But the secondary also isn’t so stuffed that there’s a chance Laulea completely disappears down the depth chart. Even if he doesn’t become Mizzou’s lockdown coverage man, we’ll be seeing him on the field Week 1.
What It Means
You’re probably getting tired of hearing us talk about how badly Mizzou needed players in the secondary, but there’s a difference between bringing in anyone and bringing in guys that can play at the SEC level. Laulea is the latter. He’s got the size, the speed and the athleticism to play at this level, and Mizzou desperately needed all of those skills in a corner room that was decimated by eligibility. Laulea gives the Tigers a high-floor, high-ceiling type of talent that could be a difference maker in 2026.
