Welcome to the Morning Commute
Today we’re talking about all the new Mizzou Tigers in the National Football League!
If you were paying attention to our website – or, you know, the draft – the past few days, you’ll have noticed that the Tigers had a nice run on days two and three in Pittsburgh, adding six alumni to the ranks of the best football players in the world. To recap:
- Zion Young went to the Ravens in the 2nd round
- Josiah Trotter went to the Bucs in the 2nd round
- Chris McClellan went to the Packers in the 3rd round
- Keagen Trost went to the Rams in the 3rd round
- Kevin Coleman, Jr. went to the Dolphins in the 5th round
- Toriano Pride, Jr. went to the Bills in the 7th round
We’re so damn proud of our boys. They’re all grown up now!
But we’re just as proud of the Mizzou Tigers who didn’t get drafted, but will still fight for a shot
on an NFL roster this summer and fall. A few Tigers got picked up on UDFA deals after yesterday’s final rounds, and news started to trickle out on them today:
- Drey Norwood is joining Keagen Trost in L.A.
- Daylan Carnell will link up with the Pittsburgh Steelers for camp
- Stephen Hall gets a deal with the Houston Texans
- Connor Tollison was invited to San Francisco 49ers minicamp, though he has not signed a UDFA deal
There’s sure to be more news leaking out over the next few days, including contracts for the draftees. Congrats, y’all! We can’t wait to root for you at the next level!
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
[Green] chose Mizzou over Missouri State and Tulsa, but Iowa State and Central Florida were some of his notable power conference offers. In his junior season at Lee’s Summit North, Green led the team with 14.5 tackles per game and 2.5 sacks per game — helping them to a 6-4 overall record.
It was the second commitment of the weekend for the Tigers, who also got a commitment from Keiran Govan.
Now, with four regular season games left on the schedule and the conference tournament remaining, Mizzou knows exactly what it needs to do. The Tigers must beat Kansas City in their midweek matchup on Tuesday, then ideally steal two from No. 9 Tennessee at home. This would put them at 28-26 rather than 27-27, and then wouldn’t require a win in the SEC Tournament to maintain postseason eligibility.
The postseason beckons for a program that could really use a berth…
“I get to give advice, not make decisions,” Schaefer said on being an assistant coach. “I think my experience as a head coach does help me be a good assistant coach. I really try to bring them solutions. It’s easy to point out the problems. We all know what our problems are, but really trying to have solutions and options.”
It’s a cool read! Love these pieces from our Olympic Sports team.
As a whole it was an impressive first look at a team that is still missing several of its incoming freshmen, meaning more talent is on the way. With what’s shaping up to be an uber-competitive non-conference slate and the usual grind of the SEC, Mizzou appears poised to head back to the NCAA Tournament.
Karen, you’re running this man ragged! (Editor’s Note: It’s true.)
- Over at Rock M+, the college basketball portal is very much still in play and the Mizzou staff is weighing its options. We also have a thread up for post-NFL Draft thoughts, including how impressed we should be that Keagen Trost was a 3rd round choice after only one year in the SEC.
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