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Mizzou was expected to have five players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, and all five heard their names called by the end of the day on Saturday. It was the first time the Tigers had at least five players selected in a draft since 2015, and just the third time the Tigers have had at least five players selected in the last 35 years.
Nick Bolton was the first Missouri player selected, hearing his name called in the second round (58th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs. He became the Tigers’ first off-ball linebacker selected with a top 100 pick since Zavier Gooden in 2013.
The Raiders traded up late in the fourth round to take former Tigers safety Tyree Gillespie with the 143rd overall pick. He and Joshuah Bledsoe, selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round with the 188th overall pick, were the first Mizzou safeties selected in the NFL Draft since William Moore was a second round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2009.
I know Mizzou is known as “D-Line Zou,” but the Tigers have done a heck of a job producing offensive linemen in recent years. When Larry Borom was selected in the fifth round with the 151st overall pick by the Chicago Bears, he became Missouri’s fifth offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft in the last seven years. Borom joined Justin Britt (2014), Mitch Morse (2015), Connor McGovern (2016) and Evan Boehm (2016) on that list.
The final Mizzou player to go off the board was running back Larry Rountree III, who went in the middle of the sixth round to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 198th overall pick. He became the highest drafted Mizzou running back since Damien Nash was selected in the fifth round in 2005 by the Tennessee Titans.
The Tigers’ five players selected was not only impressive relative to their previous NFL Draft success, but also when compared to the rest of the SEC at large. The only SEC schools with more players selected in the 2021 draft than Missouri were Alabama (10), Georgia (9), Florida (8), LSU (7) and Kentucky (6).
Let’s take a look at the reaction to each player’s selection.
2nd Round (#58) - Kansas City Chiefs - Linebacker Nick Bolton
It came as a bit of a surprise Bolton was still available late in the second round for the Chiefs. Linebacker wasn’t the Chiefs’ biggest need, but Bolton could work his way into the starting lineup right away with a good camp. He has a chance to be the eventual replacement for Chiefs starting middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens as early as next season (2022).
With the 58th pick in the 2021 #NFLDraft, we've selected @_nickbolton2! pic.twitter.com/su4Te7VGUr
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 1, 2021
Steal for the @Chiefs getting @MizzouFootball LB Nick Bolton at 58 overall.
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) May 1, 2021
Can take on blocks. Sideline to sideline. Leader.
Just gets guys to the ground. I though5 he was one of the best defensive players in this draft.
Had an early Round 2 grade on Nick Bolton.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) May 1, 2021
He's a DOG. Bruiser as a hitter. Weakside linebacker who runs alleys with a mean streak.
Anthony Hitchens time is limited in KC
Nick Bolton speaks to the media!
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 1, 2021
: 4/30-5/1 on NFLN; Draft-A-Thon on @NFL https://t.co/4TtXltBWr6
Nick Bolton ➡️ @Chiefs @PFF_Sam's favorite pick of the #NFLDraft
— PFF (@PFF) May 1, 2021
Watch NOW: https://t.co/QM5eR2N6TV pic.twitter.com/ffwTVfjQgj
4th Round (#142) - Las Vegas Raiders -Safety Tyree Gilespie
The Raiders had an, umm, interesting draft. Three of their first five selections were listed as safeties. Gillespie will compete with veterans Karl Joseph, Jonathan Abram and Jeff Heath, along with fellow rookie Trevon Moehrig for snaps at safety. He’ll likely see the majority of his contributions on special teams early in his career.
New @Raiders S Tyree Gillespie on what role he sees himself playing: "Just put me on the field and just let me make plays. I feel like I'm a playmaker. I'm going to make a lot of plays. So just put me on the field and let me do my thing."
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) May 1, 2021
Tyree Gillespie is a free safety who some see as being best suited as a box safety. That would suggest he and Moehrig essentially play different positions. This is more about Johnathan Abram. #Raiders
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) May 1, 2021
Raiders Tyree Gillespie Scouting Report:
— Raider Nation Boston (@RaiderNationBOS) May 1, 2021
‣possess size + movement of NFL safety
‣quality angles to attack digs + overs
‣aggressive pad delivery to strike and dislodge the football
‣hung in against TE Kyle Pitts in man coverage
‣his best game of the year was against Alabama pic.twitter.com/Ob5M4MIhx2
5th Round (#151) - Chicago Bears - Offensive Tackle Larry Borom
Chicago is a borderline ideal landing spot for Borom. The Bears’ biggest need going into the offseason was obviously quarterback, and they fixed that with the addition of former Ohio State star Justin Fields. But Chicago’s second biggest need was the offensive line. The Bears addressed it early with former Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, and they went back to the well in the fifth round with Borom. Borom will fight for a spot as the top backup on the team at both tackle and guard. He has a strong chance of making the roster, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he sees playing time right away.
The Bears add more size & physicality to their O-line by adding Larry Borom at pick 151. Borom is a massive dude with light feet, above average play strength & a solid anchor. Initial depth piece for a gap scheme, so a good fit w/CHI.
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) May 1, 2021
Summary & report: https://t.co/ZhQslFTM5J pic.twitter.com/HY8S03WgeV
Interesting fifth rounder for Bears. Larry Borom has "talent to be a second rounder" according to one scout. Another had him in third, another in the fourth. They predicted he would go later because of conditioning issues. If he gets it together, he can be a starting RT or G.
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) May 1, 2021
New Bears offensive lineman Larry Borom: "I'm a mean, physical, dominant big person that's going to displace people off the line of scrimmage."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) May 1, 2021
Missouri Tigers quarterback Connor Bazelak tells me that the newest Chicago Bears offensive lineman Larry Borom is "one of the most consistent lineman I’ve ever played with."
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) May 1, 2021
Bazelak: "He’s a guy that will do his job every play. He rarely gives up pressure on the QB."
6th Round (#188) - New England Patriots - Safety Joshuah Bledsoe
I’m not sure there’s a single team in the league that would have been a better landing spot for Bledsoe than the Patriots. Bledsoe is a chess piece on the back end of any defense. He can play in the slot, he can line up in the box at linebacker and he can play deep at safety. Belichick will love that versatility. Bledose joins a deep group of safeties in New England, so the majority of his playing time early on will come via special teams.
From his post-draft media call, here's Bill Belichick on Mizzou's Joshuah Bledsoe:
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) May 1, 2021
“Bledsoe's a versatile player at Missouri, did a lot of different things for their football team. Was in a couple different systems, defensive staffs out there..."
Joshuah Bledsoe on the Patriots: "I definitely feel like this is where I was going to end up."
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) May 1, 2021
Bill Belichick Live Draft Day 3 Press Conference#PatsDraft | May 1 | @nflnetwork https://t.co/dpLf8KNgsx
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 1, 2021
6th Round (#198) - Los Angeles Chargers - Running Back Larry Rountree III
The Chargers have three established running backs in Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Rounree work his way onto the active roster. Kelley played in 14 games as a true freshman last year and adds more in the passing game than Rountree, but he averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and Rountree might be a better fit as a change-of-pace back along with Ekeler and Jackson. Rountree will have to find his way on special teams to earn his spot on the roster, but I don’t think any Mizzou fans will be surprised if he does exactly that.
RB Larry Rountree says he takes special teams "very personal." He said it was the "only way" he got on the field as a freshman and calls it a "big factor" in winning and losing games. #Chargers pic.twitter.com/Y6JCPUXuVP
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) May 1, 2021
Competition for RB2 and 3 jobs now between Justin Jackson, Josh Kelley and now Rountree https://t.co/uey2Mn9gTf
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) May 1, 2021
Chase Daniel and Larry Rountree III will be teammates with the Chargers.
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) May 1, 2021
Rountree was in first grade when Daniel rallied Mizzou to beat Iowa State in 2005.
The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) loves Larry Rountree’s skills (@LRountreeIII) is a smart RB w/ COD ability w the knowledge/skill to regap and continue up field. His footwork is extremely fluid in/outside the tackles
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) May 1, 2021