It’s NFL Draft week. And for college football fans, it’s one of the best weeks of the year.
As an NFL skeptic and college football fanatic, I’ve always found the draft to be one of the league’s best nights. It’s incredibly rewarding to see guys you’ve invested multiple years in – both at your school and others – get their just rewards by seeing their childhood dreams realized. You think a kid cares that he’s going in the fifth round of the draft verses the second? No, this is fairy tale stuff for
more than 200 young men. To me, it’s maybe the most emotional night of what I’ve found to be an incredibly emotionless sport. Damn you, toxic masculinity.
Anyway, you’re either here because you’re a Mizzou fan curious where your favorite players may go in this weekend’s draft or you’re an NFL fan curious about a Mizzou player you’ve heard bandied about in your favorite team’s draft coverage. And while this isn’t by any means an exhaustive look at these players, we wanted to offer you a quick primer on some Mizzou names you might hear this weekend in Pittsburgh. The order was pulled from the official NFL website’s latest full mock, which went up last week.
Zion Young
Staff Overview
The former Mizzou captain shot up draft boards this spring after strong performances at showcases and the combine. His emotive playing style, leadership abilities, and production at the highest level make him an attractive addition to any team looking for high-end depth at the defensive end position.
Expert Analysis
Young lacks ideal athleticism, but he’s a long, powerful edge with elite snap anticipation and solid takeoff burst… an elite run defender who sets a damn hard edge and has no trouble stonewalling bigger opponents.
[He’s] one of the most underrated and overshadowed prospects in this class. – Todd McShay, The Ringer
Prediction
Young is the type of player teams love to have. He’s a proven producer, a natural born leader and has the technical nuances in his game that you sometimes can’t teach the freakier athletes who win at the college level because of their talent. Young will more than likely go early in Day Two, but don’t be surprised if a run on pass-rushers makes a team afraid to miss and move into the first round to pick him.
Josiah Trotter
Staff Overview
A productive and athletic player with NFL family ties, Josiah Trotter solidified his professional credentials with an outstanding sophomore campaign in Columbia. While he lacks some of the high-end traits of some elite linebackers, Trotter’s overall scout makes him a high-floor bet for NFL teams in need of linebackers.
Expert Analysis
Trotter is an aggressive downhill run-stopper who recorded 13 tackles for loss in 2025. He quickly reads his keys and fills gaps. He has a powerful punch and the explosive power to knock blockers to the ground. His reaction time, active hands, and ability to change speeds make it difficult for blockers to square him up and latch onto his frame.
Trotter needs to be protected in coverage, and he may not start as a rookie, but he’s an effective run defender with enough natural ability to develop into a starter. – Todd McShay, The Ringer
Prediction
Trotter is a strange case in that he’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type of linebacker. The good news is, he still has plenty of room to develop and should be a nailed on Day Two pick.
Chris McClellan
Staff Overview
A mammoth presence on Mizzou’s interior for the past two seasons, Chris McClellan proved to be the anchor of a line that excelled. While he’s not necessarily a star player that NFL teams build around, his size and strength make him a threat when paired with other high-end pass rushers in the trenches.
Expert Analysis
Everything with McClellan starts with leverage. When he fires out with proper knee bend and lower pads, he plays with much better balance and can maximize his length—jolting blockers, disengaging, and pursuing effectively.
McClellan profiles as a versatile, length-driven interior defender who can contribute across multiple alignments (he’s capable of lining up at 1-technique, 3-technique, and even some 5-technique), with his effectiveness hinging on improved pad level consistency and continued technical refinement. – Todd McShay, The Ringer
Prediction
McClellan’s physical gifts outweigh his technical limitations, and he’ll be too much to pass up for a team needing exciting young defensive line talent. Look for him to get called late in Day Two or on Day Three.
Kevin Coleman, Jr.
Staff Overview
A shifty and sure-handed gadget player, Coleman was one of the few sure things in Mizzou’s shaky 2025 passing game. He doesn’t have the biggest build which will likely give some teams pause, but he’s a hard worker who has produced everywhere he’s been and has enough tools — sticky hands, open-field agility, good route-running — to make space for himself on an NFL roster.
Expert Analysis
Kevin Coleman Jr is a dynamic matchup slot-receiver prospect. He projects as a rotational receiver on an NFL roster who can climb the depth chart.
Quick gear shifting to accelerate to top speed and put defenders in conflict
Short area quickness and change of direction to lose defenders in coverage
Strong spatial awareness and feel after the catch to make the first defender miss – Damian Parson, B/R
Prediction
Players like Coleman come around regularly in the NFL, but his smart, efficient play will set him apart from all the other twitchy receivers teams love to stock up on. Coleman will likely go on Day Three to a team needing to spice up their passing and return games.
Keagen Trost
Staff Overview
A one-year transfer to the SEC, Trost dominated as a Tiger and earned himself All-SEC honors. He might not be as bulky as some teams would like for an NFL tackle, but Trost is technically assured and equally strong in the passing and rush games. He’s capable of making room for himself on an NFL roster and has the capability to turn into a multiple-year contributor at the highest level.
Expert Analysis
Keagen Trost is a barrel-chested, strong blocker with just enough initial burst to get centered and unlock his power.
Barrel-chest with good square power to create displacement on angle-drive and down blocks.
Stays square on second-level climb to maximize power and deliver a jolt to smaller targets that cross his path. – Brandon Thorn, B/R
Prediction
Trost may not pop on tape the way some of his peers do, but he proved that he could compete at the highest level in 2025. That should be enough for a team to scoop him up on Day Three and hope they can develop him into a high-end backup with potential to make him a starter.
Toriano Pride, Jr.
Staff Overview
An athletic, high-octane competitor, Toriano Pride’s Mizzou career was defined by plenty of highlights and some inconsistencies in coverage. Despite some of the technical lapses in his game, Pride’s physical gifts and nose for making big plays makes him an intriguing NFL prospect, especially for a staff confident they can maximize the upsides to his game.
Expert Analysis
Toriano Pride showcased his impressive athletic ability at the combine and played well on the boundary for Missouri. While a switch to safety or nickel is likely in his future, he didn’t back down to the bigger receivers he faced.
Pride plays bigger than his size on the boundary with physicality, good use of the sideline, and recovery speed to turn and run.
He’s a tough, reactive player with natural footwork and zone feel to make a transition to nickel who fights at the catch point. – Daniel Harms, B/R
Prediction
Pride won’t be short of suitors, especially teams who can afford to take a flier on developing an athletic, ball-hawking secondary player. He’ll likely go at the end of Day Three.
Curious about any other Mizzou Tigers? Feel free to get in the comments or hit us up on the football boards at Rock M+!
