How does every pro-bound Missouri Tiger fit with their new team?

For the first time since 2009, Missouri football had six players taken in a single NFL Draft. That tied a program-record since 1994, which is the first year the NFL transitioned to a seven-round NFL Draft.

Like the six players taken in 2009, the six players taken in 2024 went to six different teams, and five more signed as undrafted free agents to five different teams as well. Here’s how they all fit in their new homes.

Darius Robinson: Arizona Cardinals (1st round, 27th overall)

Heading into the 2024 draft, the Cardinals had two picks: No. 4 and No. 27. Their first pick seemed like an obvious one, as Ohio State star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had been the projected pick for a long time.

Then came the 27th pick, which they acquired from the Houston Texans in a trade during last year’s draft that landed Houston the third overall pick, which they used on Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

There were two reasons that a defensive player was likely going to be taken with Arizona’s next pick. One is that head coach Jonathan Gannon has a defensive background; two is that the Cardinals needed a lot of help on defense.

All three levels of the field could’ve used a jolt, but the defensive line was in especially dire straits. Last season, the Cardinals had the third-fewest number of sacks, second-fewest number of quarterback pressures and arguably the worst run defense in the league. Over the last six weeks of the season, the desert birds recorded a single sack. While effort was never a question with the unit, it didn’t always turn into positive results.

Like Mizzou under Blake Baker, the Cardinals play with four defensive linemen on the field. Out of all the Missouri Tigers drafted, Robinson likely has the best chance to start early, as Zaven Collins and BJ Ojulari are currently listed as Arizona’s starters at defensive end.

Arizona stills seems set on the two being the starters heading into 2024. They have until May 2 to decide whether they want to pick up Collins’ fifth-year option, which would pay him an extra $13.2 million and give him another year with the Cardinals. A first-round pick in 2021, Collins hasn’t produced much since his rookie season, but he’s a converted inside linebacker still adjusting to playing defensive end, and he was Arizona’s highest-graded defender last season according to PFF. Ojulari, a second-round pick last season, showed a ton of promise, collecting five tackles for loss and looking the part of a starting-caliber edge rusher.

However, uncertainty still exists. The Cardinals could easily decline Collins’ option, which means Collins would become a free agent next offseason. At the moment, next up on the depth chart would be Robinson, so his time in the limelight could easily start soon.

The pick didn’t exactly draw rave reviews from the media; many are skeptical of Robinson’s ability to translate his collegiate success (most of which came in one season) to the pros, especially considering that Robinson relied heavily on overpowering opposing linemen, something that might not be as easy at the next level.

However, there’s a reason Robinson was getting first round grades for most of draft season. After a breakout season in 2023, Robinson tore through the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. He showed off elite power, toughness and versatility, something that clearly caught the eye of Gannon, who called Robinson a “war daddy” during Arizona’s post-round one press conference.

“We’re gonna put him everywhere,” Gannon said.

Ennis Rakestraw Jr.: Detroit Lions (2nd round, 61st overall)

The Lions double-dipped at defensive back with their first two picks. In the first round, they traded up five spots with the Dallas Cowboys to select Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, who many had as the draft’s top-rated cornerback.

The picks made sense, as cornerback was Detroit’s biggest need heading into the draft. General Manager Brad Holmes & Co. had already been active in bolstering the defensive back room, which represented the pride’s worst-performing position group last season (27th ranked pass defense).

They traded a third-round pick for Carlton Davis II and signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal. He had been the best outside cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for much of his six-year professional career. The next day, they signed free agent Amik Robertson for $9.25 million over two years. A fourth round pick in 2020, Robertson was one of the top options for the Las Vegas Raiders on the outside, recording 15 passes defended over the past two seasons.

However, it became very clear that the Lions wanted more. According to The Athletic’s Colton Pouncey (J School mafia!), Rakestraw was Holmes’ No. 2 cornerback in the draft behind Arnold. Although most mock drafts had someone else as the draft’s CB2 — Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, etc. — the fact that Holmes’ CB2 was still available at No. 61 overall seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Since Dan Campbell took over as head coach in 2021, the Lions have prided themselves on being tough and physical. In Aaron Glenn’s man-heavy defense, those two attributes are requirements for playing time. Thankfully for Rakestraw, those are arguably his two strongest traits, as he always looked more than comfortable on islands with receivers, making this a fantastic fit for him.

Ty’Ron Hopper: Green Bay Packers (3rd round, 91st overall)

This was arguably the most surprising pick in terms of projection for any of the Missouri players drafted this year. On nflmockdraftdatabase.com, Hopper was projected to go in the fifth round, but the Packers took him a lot earlier than that.

Hopper possesses plenty of strong traits that Green Bay clearly liked. He’s rangy and extremely impactful when moving downhill. A natural weak side (WILL) linebacker, Hopper also offered positional versatility when he filled in nicely for the injured Chad Bailey last season, who primarily played middle linebacker.

Despite being picked in the third round, Hopper could contend for immediate playing time. While the Packers took Texas A&M inside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round, the only other linebackers on the team with substantial NFL experience are Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie.

According to Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, Hopper and Cooper fit was what Green Bay was apparently looking for in a linebacker.

“They gotta be able to run and I think the two guys we selected today — obviously you guys know Quay can run,” Gutekunst said on Friday. “We’ve gotten faster. Isaiah can run, so I really like that group and where we’re headed with that right now.”

Javon Foster: Jacksonville Jaguars (4th round, 114th overall)

Offensive tackle was a big need for Jacksonville entering Thursday. Although they used their first-round pick on one last year (current starting right tackle Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison), left tackle was a far bigger question mark.

Current starter Cam Robinson and backup Walker Little currently have just one year left on their contracts. Foster likely won’t start right away, but a path to playing time is clearer than one may expect, especially if Jacksonville isn’t able to land anyone in free agency next offseason. Foster was also the only offensive lineman the Jaguars drafted and was also the first Tiger the Florida jungle cats had drafted since Blaine Gabbert in 2011.

Foster was an anchor at left tackle for Missouri during his last few seasons in Columbia, and he shined in Kirby Moore’s offense last season which had offensive linemen elevating to the second level often. They shined especially bright when running outside zone, where Foster proved adept at meeting linebackers in their neighborhood. The Jaguars don’t run outside zone, but Foster offers high-level mobility that he showed off at Missouri and during the pre-draft process.

Kris Abrams-Draine: Denver Broncos (5th round, 145th overall)

The Broncos went primarily offense in the draft, as five of their seven picks were used on that side of the ball.

However, one of the two picks they used on defense was Abrams-Draine, whose projection-reality dynamic was opposite of Hopper’s. While Hopper was projected to be taken in the fifth round by nflmockdraftdatabase.com and ended up going in the third, KAD was projected to go in the third round and ended up going in the fifth.

Many praised the pick for the fact that they didn’t think Abrams-Draine would be available that late in the draft. The other reason was that it filled a need. Beyond Patrick Surtain II, Denver’s secondary is awfully suspect, as they were one of the worst pass defenses in the league last season.

Jaylon Carlies: Indianapolis Colts (5th round, 151st overall)

Carlies will likely be a special teams player early on, but it’ll be interesting to see what his role is with Indianapolis.

Although he played defensive back in college, there’s a good chance he plays linebacker. If so, that could be great for him, as the Colts have garnered a reputation for making good linebackers from various backgrounds.

Undrafted Free Agent signings

Cody Schrader: San Francisco 49ers

Like the Colts, the 49ers have garnered a specific positional reputation. Over the past few seasons, San Francisco’s backfield has been led by running backs who weren’t highly-touted coming out of college. Although Christian McCaffrey is the undisputed RB1, guys like Elijah Mitchell (sixth-round pick), Jeff Wilson (undrafted) and Jordan Mason (undrafted) have contributed a good bit to what has been a high-octane offense over the past few seasons.

Schrader fits that description, but neither of those three running backs were as accomplished entering the league as Schrader. The climb up the depth chart is a steep one, but it’s not like Schrader hasn’t reached the summit before.

Xavier Delgado: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers had a need on the interior of their offensive line before the draft, and they addressed it. They took Duke offensive tackle Graham Barton in the first round, who’s projected to play guard at the next level. They also drafted UTEP’s Elijah Klein in the sixth round. Delgado, like Klein, should be a depth piece in Tampa Bay.

Marcellus Johnson: New York Giants

Although the Giants signed Aaron Stinnie and Jon Runyan during the offseason, the interior offensive line has been an issue for a long time. Like Delgado with the Bucs, Johnson will likely be a practice squad guy.

Harrison Mevis: Carolina Panthers

The penultimate reported UDFA signing for the Tigers was the Thiccer Kicker heading to the Queen City (editor’s note: my former home!). Kohl’s Kicking Camp had one of the initial reports, beating out Target and Macy’s.

Mevis continued the trend of kickers in this year’s draft class going to weather-friendly destinations. Alabama’s Will Reichard is heading to Minnesota Vikings (where they play in a dome), Stanford’s Joshua Karty is going to the Los Angeles Rams and Arkansas’s Cam Little will be kicking in Jacksonville for the Jaguars.

Current kicker Eddy Pineiro has put together consecutive solid seasons for the Panthers, but a kicker as accomplished as Mevis isn’t too shabby of a backup.

Nathaniel Peat: Dallas Cowboys

Last but certainly not least, the former track star is headed back to where Mizzou’s 2023 seasons ended in celebratory fashion.

While Peat will likely be a practice squad guy, there’s a small chance he could make the active roster at some point, as the Cowboys running back depth chart currently looks like this:

• Ezekiel Elliott
• Rico Dowdle
• Deuce Vaughn
• Royce Freeman
• Malik Davis
• Snoop Conner
• Nathaniel Peat

After a season where many Tigers had something to prove, Peat and several of his teammates finds themselves in that position once again.