Six Missouri football players among CBS NFL Draft top 150
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Could Missouri football send a program-record number of players to the NFL via the draft this upcoming April?
The previous record for the number of Tigers who heard their name called in a single NFL Draft is seven players, which happened in 1981. Six Missouri players were drafted in 2023, which is the most under current head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
The Tigers could be on pace to match or break those marks.
CBS Sports reporter Mike Renner published his current top 150 prospects on Dec. 17, and it included six current Missouri players — two of whom still have remaining college eligibility and will likely soon make a call on whether they want to return to Mizzou in 2026 or enter the draft process.
The Tigers among Renner’s top 150: Middle linebacker Josiah Trotter; offensive lineman Cayden Green; defensive tackle Chris McClellan; wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.; defensive end Zion Young; and offensive lineman Keagan Trost.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
Here’s where each Mizzou player landed on Renner’s list, and who else could end up heading to the league this year:
Josiah Trotter, LB, No. 74
Trotter is a redshirt sophomore and, thus, eligible to declare early for the NFL Draft after three seasons in the sport. The West Virginia transfer, whose father played and brother still plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, is soaring up draft rankings after leading Mizzou in tackling this season and grading as one of the top linebackers in the SEC.
Drinkwitz recently announced Trotter sustained a minor knee injury in MU’s regular-season finale, and he has had the injury repaired but will miss the Gator Bowl.
Cayden Green, OL, No. 83
Green had a mostly successful move from left guard to left tackle for Mizzou this season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the second-best pass-blocking offensive tackle in the SEC this year. But, if Green opts to head to the league after his junior season in college, it looks likely that he will move back to the interior.
Chris McClellan, DT, No. 85
McClellan recently accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl after an excellent senior season in Columbia. He graded out as PFF’s second-best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the SEC, getting through for 21 quarterback pressures and two sacks. In what is tipped as a strong class of interior defensive linemen, McClellan is moving up some boards.
Kevin Coleman Jr., WR, No. 110
Coleman was Mizzou’s most-reliable wide receiver this season, even as the Tigers struggled to move the ball through the air for most of the second half of the season. Coleman replaced Luther Burden III in the slot and caught 63 passes for 715 yards and one touchdown after transferring to the Tigers from Mississippi State.
Zion Young, DE, No. 115
This is a lot lower than most rankings have Young, who recently was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired. The defensive end was one of the SEC’s leading pass rushers this season, generating 48 QB pressures and eight sacks. Most mocks have Young as a first- or second-round pick.
Keagen Trost, OL, No. 141
Trost recently earned third-team All-American honors from the AP after exceeding almost all preseason expectations this season. The seventh-year senior transferred in from Wake Forest to replace Armand Membou, the No. 7-overall pick in last year’s draft, at right tackle. He was PFF’s highest-graded offensive lineman in the SEC this season. It’s looking more and more likely that he has played his way into NFL Draft consideration.
Who else from Mizzou could be draft picks?
The obvious exclusion from the above list of players is defensive end Damon Wilson II, who is a junior, eligible to declare for the draft or return to college and, in most mocks, a Day 1 or 2 pick if he makes that call.
Wilson had 49 quarterback pressures rushing the edge this season, his first in Columbia after transferring to the Tigers from Georgia. That was the second-most in the SEC.
Elsewhere on the roster, safeties Jalen Catalon and Daylan Carnell, offensive center Connor Tollison and cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. are each players we haven’t seen in many early mock drafts but could earn some late-round draft consideration with good combine performances.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Six Missouri football players among CBS NFL Draft top 150
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