****Official Mizzou Football 2023-2024 Thread****

[duncan_idaho]

Year 4 of the Drinkwitz era, let's discuss.

Schedule

• Aug. 31 - South Dakoka - W
• Sept 9 - Middle Tennessee - W
• Sept 16 - kansas State - W
• Sept 23 - Memphis
• Sept 30 - @Vanderbilt
• Oct 7 - LSU
• Oct 14 - @Kentucky
• Oct 21 - South Carolina
• Nov 4 - @Georgia
• Nov 11 - Tennessee
• Nov 18 - Florida
• Nov 24 - @Arkansas

Recruiting Class
Rivals

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Mizzou got a commit from 4* Jack Lange listed as OT/D-line. Really wanted this guy looks like a premier tackle he's 6'8 fantastic technique very fluid movement in the hips. I think he could start day 1 a little surprised by his ranking imagine that will change by winter

Yeah - that's not a recruiting battle we win often in the past. Top guy in Missouri has usually been someone that at least considers Mizzou but we often lose out in the end. Especially at premium positions.

Snagging a really nice looking OT prospect is a big deal. And ultimately I think the fact that Mizzou appears to do a decent job coaching OL up helped a lot. 2-3 years ago this OL was a complete cluster**** and last year it was a strength with a lot of the same guys on the line. They simply got better.

That helps quite a bit in these tighter recruiting races, IMO.

Nice start to recruiting season for Drink thus far...

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yeah - that's not a recruiting battle we win often in the past. Top guy in Missouri has usually been someone that at least considers Mizzou but we often lose out in the end. Especially at premium positions.

Snagging a really nice looking OT prospect is a big deal. And ultimately I think the fact that Mizzou appears to do a decent job coaching OL up helped a lot. 2-3 years ago this OL was a complete cluster**** and last year it was a strength with a lot of the same guys on the line. They simply got better.

That helps quite a bit in these tighter recruiting races, IMO.

Nice start to recruiting season for Drink thus far...

Helps that those in-state guys can start cashing those checks in high school as well

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Helps that those in-state guys can start cashing those checks in high school as well

Couple more states have passed similar laws of late, I believe.

That's gonna neutralize at some point soon enough. So make as much ground there as we can while we can.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Imagine that. Buying players improves a program. Good to see the new rules level the field a bit on the past crooked teams that skirted the rules for years with no competition in collegiate sports. Seeing it in the secondary sport hoops as well.

[jjchieffan]

Originally Posted by jjchieffan

I came across an article on rockmnation with draft projections for Mizzou draftable players. I'm sharing it here to revisit after the draft to see how accurate the projections end up being

MIZZOU FOOTBALL
Mizzou’s 2024 Mock Draft Round Up
Ahead of this week’s NFL Draft, let’s take a look at how the matriculating Tigers are projected across the various mock drafts and big boards of the internet.

The NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the weekend should be one of the most exciting for Missouri fans in a few years. Darius Robinson will be in attendance, and a host of former Tiger stars have a chance to hear their name called. Many others will be in the mad scramble post-draft for undrafted free agents.

Let’s give a round of applause for NFL Mock Draft Database, because without their website this exercise would have been hilariously, exhaustingly tedious. Instead it was a breeze!

Darius Robinson, DE

The story of Darius Robinson’s prospect arc is a simple one: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile. Missouri’s stud defensive lineman and Detroit native went to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and was one of the best players at the event. It turns out dominating your peers for a week in front of your industry’s assembled talent evaluators does wondrous things for your stock. Robinson was consistently ranked in the mid-100s as a prospect by mock drafters through the middle of January following a dominant but not sexy college career. Word – and tape – started to get out, and he rose to the 80s by the end of the month, and then the first week in February in Mobile brought him into the first round for good.

Shoutout to Faceoff Sports Network, @FFfaceoff, who projected Robinson at 26 in October of 2023, far before the rest of the industry caught on. Real ball-knowers – or Missouri watchers – at Faceoff.

Robinson is a safe bet to be Missouri’s first first-round selection since Charles Harris in 2017. His versatility on the defensive line is a positive, as are his character and work ethic. He has been invited to attend the draft next Thursday, and he should fulfill a storybook evening by being selected in the first round in his hometown. To make it even sweeter, his consensus landing spot is the Detroit Lions, the team of his boyhood fandom.

Apologies to Billy Beane and Moneyball, but how can you not be romantic about football?

Ennis Rakestraw, CB

Despite a middling showing at the combine and an injury-plagued senior campaign, Ennis Rakestraw remains a top prospect. He has a chance to sneak into the first round but will most likely go in the second; his consensus pick is 43rd to the Houston Texans. Like Robinson, Rakestraw would be thrilled to be back in his home state, especially with a franchise on the rise like the Texans.

Raekstraw’s stock dipped after the 2023 season ended, perhaps due to a lack of tape and questions about his ballhawk skills. But while 2023 was not his best year, the body of work is strong, and he has reportedly thrived in interview and meeting situations. He is safely a top-50 selection.

Kris Abrams-Draine, CB

Rakestraw’s running mate will likely hear his name called next. The converted wide receiver put together a marvelous final campaign in Columbia, collecting all the pass breakups and interceptions as quarterbacks dutifully avoided Rakestraw’s side of the field. His stock has dipped down to the fifth round in January, and then risen up to a second-round selection after the Combine. He has stabilized in the mid-80s since, good for a safe bet to be selected in the middle of the third round. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports is a big fan of Abrams-Draine, has consistently ranking KAD among the top prospects on his Big Boards (not mocks). His most recent March 24th big board has Abrams-Draine 17th, easily a high water mark for our man. Says Trapasso:

​​At No. 17 you’ll notice Abrams-Draine here and not many other places. He too is another prospect who, to me, is significantly underrated. Every time I watched a Missouri game, he made plays in coverage, as tackler, on the boundary, in the slot, as a blitzer. Didn’t matter. He’s a defensive back I’d really want on my team. Rock-solid football player.

Javon Foster, OT

Like Robinson, Foster got a bump at the Senior Bowl. Reportedly, he was one of the few prospects who could slow down his former teammate. This is a strong tackle draft, especially for left tackles at the all-important blind side position. Foster will likely need to swing across to right tackle in the pros. Evaluators like his chances to stick in the league and be a starter, but not a high-level one. The consensus is that he will be selected in the fourth round.

Ty’Ron Hopper, LB

Ty’Ron Hopper had a mid-third round consensus in January, but his stock has steadily slipped. He is undersized and injury-prone at a position that is devalued in the modern NFL. His consensus slot right now is the middle of the fifth round. He was a joy to watch at Missouri, and a revelation in 2022, an instant havoc creator for a defense that badly needed it. Hopefully an NFL fanbase gets the same joyous feelings that we did watching Hopper make plays sideline-to-sideline.

Cody Schrader, RB

Speaking of undersized at positions that the NFL devalues….it’s Cody Schrader! It wouldn’t surprise me at all for this guy to stick around the league for the next decade. Schrader’s consensus is around the 220’s, so a 7th rounder. There is no mystery with Cody as a prospect: not a high athletic upside, but an incredible worker, likely a special teamer, and someone you would love to have around your clubhouse and practice fields. Will that earn him a spot on draft day and active roster?

Jaylon Carlies, S

Unlike Schrader, Carlies is a major wildcard. His big body and athleticism are tantalizing for NFL GMs, who will happily ignore four years of hit-or-miss tape to chase measurables. Carlies could even bulk up and move to an outside linebacker role in today’s game. He is currently mocked in the 7th round, although Michael Rochman of Give Me Sport has Carlies inside his top 100 big board at 97. Rochman’s optimism is appreciated by Missouri fans, if not reciprocated by his colleagues.

Chad Bailey, LB

Harrison Mevis, K

Nyles Gaddy, DE

All three of these prospects currently project as UDFAs, although with vastly different career arcs. Chad Bailey is an old player who plays a dying position, a linebacker who only fills against the run. His age and lack of versatility and lost senior season means he will probably hit the UDFA camps and then go pro in something other than sports. Gaddy is likely on to the UDFA circuit, although one recent big board from 33rd Team has him as mid-rounder. And then there is Mevis, who is either mocked in the 7th or an UDFA, where he would have the chance to pick the best spot for him to win a job. Unlike those geriatric defenders, Mevis is one of the best prospects at his position and should be able to find a starting gig next year.

Not in the database:

Jayden Jernigan, DT

Josh Landry, DT

Marcellus Johnson, OL

Nathaniel Peat,

Well, so far, we had Robinson go 27th to the Cardinals, Rakestraw at 61 to the Lions, and Harper at 91 to the Packers. Not bad, but I'm surprised that we didn't see KAD get selected today. I would think that he would go early tomorrow. Where will Schrader go? I would love to see him land in KC with one of those fifth round picks

[jjchieffan]

Javon Foster 114 to the Jags

[ChiefsCountry]

Eli keeping receipts

Never forget! #MIZ @EnnisRakestraw �� https://t.co/18oSynMTIZ

— Eliah Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) April 27, 2024

[jjchieffan]

Ugh! KAD to the Donks. Now I have to hate him

[jjchieffan]

Jaylen Cartles at 151 to the Colts

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by jjchieffan

Ugh! KAD to the Donks. Now I have to hate him

Yeah, that stinks.

[DJ's left nut]

So who goes in the 6th? We've had one in every round...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So who goes in the 6th? We've had one in every round...

Does Mekhi Wingo count even though his bloodline should be exterminated?

[siberian khatru]

Never forget! #MIZ @EnnisRakestraw 😎 https://t.co/18oSynMTIZ

— Eliah Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) April 27, 2024

[jjchieffan]

4 Tigers signed as UDFA. That puts Mizzou up to 10 players from this draft class. Nice!

Schrader to the 49ers
Mevis to the Panthers
Delgado to the Bucs
Johnson to the Giants

[dlphg9]

Really wish we would have gotten Schrader.