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The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, and Mizzou Football should be well represented with multiple players being selected. Zion Young, Josiah Trotter, Keagen Trost, Chris McClellan, and Kevin Coleman Jr. are some of the top Tigers that should hear
their name called.
Zion Young looks to be the most likely candidate to come off the board first for the Mizzou program, but where?
According to most of the latest mock drafts — Young is a borderline late first-round pick to early second-round pick.
ESPN’s Matt Miller has Young in the second round at the 34th overall pick, and Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic predicts him to go in the first round (31st overall).
Young saved his best for last at Missouri. Though he can be a bit stiff on the edge, his length (at 6-5, 255) and powerful hands are problematic for offensive tackles. He’s also a very smart defender who always finds the ball.
So, it’s essentially a toss-up where Young will land.
There’s some intrigue for Mizzou heading into this NFL Draft as Eli Drinkwitz has produced back-to-back first round picks (Armand Membou in 2025 and Darius Robinson in 2024). Per Pro Football Reference, Missouri hasn’t had three straight first round NFL Draft picks since 2009-2011.
Which begs the question: When will the first Mizzou player be selected in this year’s NFL Draft? Will Missouri have another first round pick, or will a Tiger hear their name called in the second round or later?
