The 2025 NFL Draft is finally upon us. After a few years of the well being dry, the Missouri program has some high caliber prospects for the second season in a row. How might things unfolded for this group?
This weekend marks a favorite event for American sports fans: televised football HR. The Barry Odom and early Eli Drinkwitz years saw Mizzou fall out of producing draft picks, but after five selections last year, the program is back in a big way. At least one Tiger will go in the first round on Thursday, and maybe two. What else does the NFL’s premiere offseason event have in store for the program?
1. How high can Armand Membou climb?
Missouri’s right tackle has been on a rocket ship this offseason. The Lee’s Summit product had an excellent junior season, but his name never rang out. He was overshadowed by more established stars on his own team or in the league, and the collective wisdom said he would slide inside to play guard in the NFL. Only Missouri fans and the national media actually doing the work (Cole Cubelic, PFF) knew that Membou was the real deal.
The NFL Combine changed that. Membou showed the world his athleticism and his impressive stature, and teams warmed to him in the off-field portions, as well. He will likely check in Thursday night as Mizzou’s first top-10 pick since both Aldon Smith and Blaine Gabbert in 2011. There are still faint whispers about a future at guard, or his lack of experience at left tackle, but those two theoretical issues aside, Membou has done nothing but impress the newly initiated.
The teams at the top of the draft hungry for an offensive tackle will have to decide between Membou and LSU’s Will Campbell, the top prospects at the position. Campbell is a lesser athlete, and has been dinged for his short arms; perhaps a move to guard is in his future, also. But has three years of awesome tape in the SEC against NFL ends at left tackle. Membou only played on the right, and has a shorter track record, but is the more dynamic athlete.
Make sure to tune in promptly on Thursday. Most big boards and mock drafts have Membou as a top ten pick, with the consensus landing spot #7 to the rebuilding New York Jets.
2. How far will Luther Burden fall?
Membou’s meteoric rise has been mirrored by Luther Burden’s extended slide. The mock draft industry is a fickle one, a field as crowded with guesswork and ignorance as perhaps only March Madness bracketology. But despite a perfectly fine combine, Burden has slipped in the prognosticator’s view. Our own Nathan Hurst tried to tackle the mystery of the Burden tumble a few weeks ago, concluding that it is typical NFL draft season rumor mill nonsense. https://www.rockmnation.com/2025/4/2/24398700/mizzou-football-nfl-draft-luther-burdens-draft-stock-has-dropped-but-why
The hullabaloo feels like nonsense to me. Luther is demonstrative between the lines, yes, and it got him a few penalty flags this season. But in general he is praised for his work ethic and desire to win. He has been a pillar in his community, and is known for clutch plays — not the hallmarks of someone who is immature or checks out of games. He is not a rah-rah clubhouse leader type, but that’s fine! You don’t need 22 of that guy, anyway.
If Luther Burden actually falls into the second round, some lucky franchise is going to get a bargain on a supremely gifted player, simply because the busybody gossips that make up NFL scouting worked themselves into a tizzy over their own imaginations. Burden has fallen to #36 on Mel Kiper Jr’s big board on ESPN, which is his exact average slot on the 1,300+ public mock drafts on NFL Mock Draft Database.
And so the groupthink has elevated one former Tiger and ensnared another. Will these “character concerns” drag down Luther on draft night?
3. Will anyone else get drafted?
Brady Cook — Mizzou’s longtime quarterback competed at the scouting combine but is not an NFL-caliber thrower. Perhaps a team has fallen in love with Cook’s toughness and intangibles and plans to snag him with one of their final picks. He will be a good asset to any clubhouse.
Most mock drafts and big boards have Cook going undrafted. The outlier is CBS’s Chris Trapaso, who has Cook as the #77 overall prospect, after ranking him 35th during the season. Trapaso is breaking from the pack here, but all it takes is one front office to agree for Brady to hear his name called on Saturday.
Theo Wease Jr. — Mizzou’s fourth combine participant, the former five-star recruit is the program’s last best chance at getting a third choice. Wease makes tough catches, has a big body, a blue-chip recruiting pedigree, and intangibles off the charts. But he is not a very explosive athlete and is old for a wide receiver prospect, something NFL scouts hate.
A handful of the full seven-round mocks have Wease going in either the 6th or 7th round. It seems more likely that he will be an undrafted free agent. He will have a defined role, a big reliable contested catch guy, which gives him a leg up on the tweeners and Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type players.
None of the remaining matriculated Tigers project to be draft picks this weekend. Johnny Walker Jr could latch on as a high-motor pass rush specialist. Kristian Williams and Marcus Bryant are accomplished veterans in the trenches, and maybe a team likes Nate Noel or Marcus Carroll as a camp body.
Last year, Mizzou got back into the NFL draft with a flurry of defensive players — five in total from the Death Row Defense were selected. This year’s class will be much smaller, but with two high caliber studs, potentially both in the first round.