The NFL season is here, and Missouri’s footprint stretches across the league again. Thirty former Tigers have found spots on active rosters and practice squads for the upcoming year, with Mizzou’s recent draft runs helping fuel the numbers. The program had six players selected in April and has produced 15 draft picks over the past three drafts.
A few of the biggest names are in obvious roles right away. Armand Membou, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft, started as a rookie for the Jets and is expected to be back in the New York lineup at right tackle, helping protect Geno Smith. In Chicago, Luther Burden III looks positioned to be a major part of the Bears’ receiver group and could even start in Ben Johnson’s second season as a pro.
The Dolphins also have two former Tigers on the active roster. Brady Cook was waived by the Jets during final cuts on Aug. 30 after making four starts late last season, and he now sits behind Malik Willis, with former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord also on the roster.
Kevin Coleman Jr., a fifth-round pick in April, also made Miami’s active roster. Cook and Coleman did not overlap at Missouri.
Denver kept a pair of Tigers in the building, too. Tyler Badie enters his fifth NFL season and is one of four running backs on the Broncos’ active roster, alongside J.K.
Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Jonah Coleman. Cody Schrader was waived on Aug. 30 and then brought back on the practice squad the next day.
Johnny Walker Jr. also made Denver’s practice squad as he heads into his second season after a training camp injury ended his rookie year before it really started.
Kansas City’s connection is still anchored by Nick Bolton, who is moving into Year 6 with the Chiefs. The soon-to-be Missouri Hall of Famer is a two-time Super Bowl winner, has played 87 games for Kansas City and has piled up more than 700 career tackles.
Elsewhere, Zion Young became Mizzou’s first player taken in the 2026 draft when Baltimore picked him in the second round at No. 42 overall. He looks set to play strongside linebacker for the Ravens. Josiah Trotter went one pick later to Tampa Bay and should have a role in the Buccaneers’ linebacker rotation.
Darius Robinson is another former first-round Tiger expected to be right in the middle of things. The first first-round pick of the Drinkwitz era at Missouri in 2024 appears on track to start up front for Arizona, though this season matters after he managed just two sacks in 21 games.
There’s a familiar face back in Los Angeles, too. Theo Wease Jr. was waived by the Dolphins and quickly picked up by his former head coach’s team, landing on the Chargers’ practice squad.
Harrison Mevis is back with the Rams after a strong first season in Los Angeles, one that included a playoff game-winner against the Bears and a 12-of-13 mark in the regular season. He’ll open the year as the Rams’ starting kicker.
Keagen Trost, meanwhile, will start on injured reserve after getting hurt in training camp following his third-round selection by the Rams in April.
Seattle brought Drew Lock back as Sam Darnold’s backup, with a Super Bowl ring in hand. Green Bay has two Tigers on the active roster in Chris McClellan and Ty’Ron Hopper. McClellan, a third-round pick, is a rookie who could push for a starting job, while Hopper enters his third year as a backup linebacker.
Cleveland’s group includes Isaiah McGuire, the Tigers’ only drafted player in 2023, who is set to start at defensive end. Toriano Pride Jr. was waived by the Bills after being drafted in the seventh round this year and is now on Cleveland’s active roster.
Detroit has a cluster of Missouri ties as well. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. has battled injuries over his first couple of seasons and appeared to get hurt again this preseason, though it does not seem serious and he could still compete for a starting cornerback job.
Larry Borom signed a one-year deal in March after spending last year with the Dolphins. Mekhi Wingo, the St.
Louis native who spent one season at Mizzou before transferring to LSU, is also there. Dominic Lovett was waived by the Lions and is now on the practice squad.
Jaylon Carlies has shifted from safety at Missouri to linebacker with the Colts and is part of their rotation in 2026. Javon Foster, after being waived by the Jaguars, is in the mix to serve as Cincinnati’s swing tackle.
In New England, Marcus Bryant and Khalil Jacobs will both begin the season on injured reserve. Bryant was a seventh-round pick in 2025, while Jacobs joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent this year.
Akayleb Evans, who spent one season at Missouri in 2021, is now a backup cornerback for the Panthers.
The source also listed the Tennessee Titans, but did not include a former Missouri player under that heading.
In Other News...
Missouri Heads To Kansas With More Than Rivalry Bragging Rights
Kansas and No. 23 Missouri will renew their historic football rivalry in Lawrence, giving the matchup a little extra edge beyond the usual early-season measuring stick. Both teams arrive off opening-week wins, and coaches Lance Leipold and Eli Drinkwitz have each framed the game through the lens of preparation, poise and what this rivalry still means in a landscape where so few old border battles remain on the calendar.
For Missouri, there is also the practical matter of getting healthier up front, with left tackle Cayden Green possibly back from injury for the trip. The long pause in the series only adds to the stakes, because unless the teams cross paths in the College Football Playoff, they will not see each other again until the 2031 and 2032 seasons, making this one of those rare games where history, timing and timing again all seem to matter at once. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces A Border War Test That Could Swing On One Matchup
The Border War is back on the calendar, and Missouri heads into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium knowing this one has the feel of more than just an early-season measuring stick. Kansas brings an offense shaped by coordinator Andy Kotelnicki that has been built to push the pace and stress defenses, while the Tigers are preparing for the kind of game where one clean matchup or one busted assignment can change the tone fast. Add in the rivalry history and the buzz around both young quarterbacks, and the setup is exactly what you would expect when these two get together.
For Missouri, the challenge is not simply matching intensity but handling the swings that come with a game like this on the road. The atmosphere should be lively, the stakes feel bigger than a normal nonconference date, and Foxs broadcast slot only adds to the spotlight. The quarterback play on both sides is part of what makes it intriguing, but the real question is whether Missouri can manage the one area that could tilt everything before the night is over. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem At The Worst Time
Missouris backfield was already thin, and now it has been hit hard before the season has really had a chance to settle in. Running back Malae Fonoti is done for the year after suffering a non-contact ACL tear in the season opener, and head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Fonoti will undergo surgery. It is the kind of early setback that can ripple through an offense quickly, especially for a team trying to establish depth behind its top options.
The concern does not stop there, either. Backup Ahmad Hardy remains unavailable while he recovers from a gunshot wound, which leaves Xai'Shaun Edwards in line as the likely No. 2 back behind Jamal Roberts. For Missouri, that makes every snap in the run game feel a little more fragile, and it puts added pressure on the players still standing to absorb a workload the Tigers were not planning on this soon. [Read more 🡒]