We are 16 days away from the 2026 NFL Draft, set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
Put another way: We are 16 days away from a number of former Missouri football players beginning their professional careers.
More Mock Drafts have filled the sports media space in recent weeks. They've expanded (we included a seven-round mock draft in today's roundup) which means more Mizzou players are getting mentioned as day two and day three picks.
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The usual suspects — defensive end Zion Young and linebacker Josiah Trotter — are still the first former Tigers off the board in most cases. But as the mock drafts expand and analysts dive deeper into the pool of prospects, guys like defensive tackle Chris McClellan, wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr., and others begin to make appearances.
ESPN's Matt Miller, for example, unveiled a full seven-round mock draft on March 30, where he made all 257 picks over the three-day event. He had six total Tigers taken:
Zion Young, 34th overall (R2-2) to Arizona
Josiah Trotter, 62nd overall (R2-30) to Denver
Keagen Trost, 105th overall (R4-5) to the New York Giants
Chris McClellan, 134th overall (R4-34) to Las Vegas
Kevin Coleman Jr., 149th overall (R5-9) to Cleveland
Toriano Pride Jr., 183rd overall (R6-2) to Arizona
On Young, Miller wrote: "The Cardinals would just miss on Simpson falling to them here, though they could trade up, which is what they did in Field Yates' and Jordan Reid's most recent mock drafts. Young would be a strong consolation prize, giving Arizona a powerful defensive end to complement the speed Josh Sweat and Baron Browning provide."
On Trotter: "Denver's defense is elite, but there's room for a downhill thumper. Trotter has NFL bloodlines and the speed to make a huge impact in the run game, where he's a missile with quick read-and-react skills."
At CBS Sports, Ryan Wilson released a three-round mock draft on March 30, where he projected Trotter to go 46th overall to Tampa Bay, Young to go 60th overall to Chicago, and McClellan to go 81st overall to Jacksonville.
At The Athletic, Nick Baumgardner predicted the first 100 picks, which is the first three rounds, and he had Young going 31st overall to New England, Trotter going 72nd to Cincinnati, and McClellan going 89th to Chicago.
On Young, Baumgardner wrote: "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."
At NFL.com, draft analyst Chad Reuter published a five-round mock draft on April 3, but was much lower on the Mizzou guys than most of his peers. He had Young going to Philly in the third round, 68th overall, and McClellan and Trotter both going in the fourth round, McClellan to Denver at 108th overall, Trotter to Indianapolis at 113.
Pro Football Focus also released a 2026 Draft Big Board on April 2, where they ranked the Top 450 prospects (yes, really).
They billed this release as their predictive draft rankings, which they called "a forward-looking exercise that blends production, grading and market sentiment to forecast how teams and analysts are likely to value each prospect on draft night."
They had a ton of Mizzou guys on the board:
Zion Young, 40th overall: "Young is a well-built, high-effort edge defender who brings consistent energy and strength in run defense. His overall athletic limitations may cap his pass-rush production."
Josiah Trotter, 66th overall: "Trotter is a physical, downhill linebacker best suited for a 3-4 scheme. He must improve in coverage and play recognition to become a consistent starter."
Chris McClellan, No. 125
Kevin Coleman Jr., No. 167
Keagen Trost, No. 260
Jalen Catalon, No. 271
Connor Tollison, No. 281
Stephen Hall, No. 335
Toriano Pride, No. 414
Triston Newson, No. 436
Here's a look at a few more mock drafts:
– Four of ESPN's draft experts, Mel Kiper Jr., Jordan Reid, Field Yates, and Matt Miller, produced a three-round mock draft where they took turns making the first 100 picks. Yates took Zion Young 20th overall for Dallas, and Trotter 56th for Jacksonville.
On Young, Yates wrote: "A double dip at edge in the first round for Dallas? Why not? A dominant pass rush unlocks any defense, and this would be the Cowboys' third major investment at the position this offseason (Bain at No. 12 and the trade for Rashan Gary)."
On Trotter: "A tone-setter at linebacker, Trotter would help Jacksonville fill the vacancy created by Devin Lloyd's departure in free agency. He had 183 tackles over the past two seasons."
– At CBS Sports, Tom Fornelli unveiled his fourth mock draft and had Zion Young going 25th overall to Chicago: "Young doesn't have the production of other edge players in the class, but he's very young in comparison and has the measurables teams seek at the position. The Bears are seeking improvement all across their defense."
– Also as CBS Sports, Pete Prisco released his second mock draft and predicted Young to New England at 31st overall: "They need to get pass-rush help in the worst way. Taking Young would help fill what is a major need. They could consider receiver here as well."
– At NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah published his Top-50 draft prospects and ranked Young No. 45 overall, writing: "Young is a big, powerful rusher with excellent length and competitiveness. He's a little bit of a herky-jerky mover, but he has heavy hands to jolt blockers and create knock-back pop. He destroys tight ends assigned to block him. He lacks an elite get-off, but he has a knack for finishing once he gets to the top of his rush. He can slide inside and rush over guards in sub situations. He's very firm and stout at the point of attack in the running game. He plays with tremendous effort against both the run and the pass. He capped off a solid season with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. Overall, Young isn't the most dynamic athlete, but he's a physical presence on the edge and has three-down value."
Cody Goodwin covers the Missouri Tigers for PowerMizzou and 247Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X at@codygoodwin.