5 days Ago By Quentin Corpuel
Green Bay, Wis. – At the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, seven former Mizzou football players found new homes in the NFL. While only three were taken in the NFL Draft – Armand Membou, Luther Burden III and Marcus Bryant – the other four signed contracts as undrafted free agents.
Interestingly enough, four of those players ended up in the AFC East. While not every former MU player might not make the 53-man roster, all of them have semi-clear paths to doing so. Here’s how each of those players fit with their new NFL team.
Unlike Jet fans of past generations, those in the present day seemed happy about who their team selected in the NFL Draft. Membou and the Jets are a perfect pairing. New York had a glaring need at right tackle, and Membou should fill it right away.
“He’ll come in and compete to start at the right tackle spot for us,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said. “Very natural fit. He’s played it before.
” The Jet’s o-line had an up-and-down year. They sported a nice mix of steady veterans and promising young players. However, injuries plagued the unit; they were successful in some aspects, but not others.
“Their pass block win rate wasn’t bad last year,” Jets fan Sam Buchmeyer said in Green Bay, "but they didn’t create holes (in the run game).” Was a fan whipping out advanced analytics expected? Definitely not. But Buchmeyer is correct; according to ESPN Analytics, the Jets ranked No.
23 in pass block win rate and No. 29 in run block win rate. Membou should help in both departments.
He didn’t allow a single sack last season, and he was a powerful blocker in the run game. What kind of offense Membou will be a part of remains to be seen. In January, the Jets hired Tanner Engstrand to be their new offensive coordinator, their 11th play caller in 15 seasons.
Engstrand comes from Detroit, where he’d been the passing game coordinator since 2022. Engstrand has called plays in two different spots: he was the offensive coordinator at the University of San Diego from 2011-17 and once more with the XFL’s DC Defenders in 2020. Two of his last three stops have featured a lot of successful passing.
The Toreros were consistently one of the best passing offenses in the FCS, including a 2013 campaign that saw USD break a school record for passing yards per game. In Detroit, the Lions finished No. 2 in passing yards per game in 2023 and 2024.
However, New York’s personnel might be better-suited for a run-first attack. Newly-signed quarterback Justin Fields is a phenomenal runner, tallying the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL by a QB (2,509) since 2021. Breece Hall is one of the top young running backs in the NFL, and Braelon Allen is one of the best young backups in the league, too.
Out wide, Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard have been publicly praised by for their run-blocking prowess. The Jets have invested a lot into their offensive line in recent years, spending four first-round picks and one second-round pick on the unit since 2020. Not only that, they’re positioned to make up one of the better o-lines in the NFL; four of those selections (Membou, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Joe Tippman and Olu Fashanu) are slated to start this upcoming season.
Their team-building strategy is reminiscent of Detroit’s during Jets coach Aaron Glenn’s time there as defensive coordinator. His first draft in 2021 saw the Lions select tackle Penei Sewell at No. 6 overall; he eventually became part of the unit’s ascent into one of the league’s best, a unit that propelled Detroit’s offense to new heights.
“I come from two teams ...
where everything was about the offensive line,” Glenn said. “I was in New Orleans when we drafted (Ryan) Ramcyzk, we had Terron (Armstead). In Detroit, we started with Penei (Sewell).
I’m a firm believer that you start (building the offense) inside out.” Membou also possesses the type of character traits that defined (and still define) the Lions. Mougey called him 'mean', 'nasty' and 'tough'.
If those traits translate well, Membou can be the final piece of the puzzle for New York’s offensive line. “Every skill player on our offense is excited right now just because of what we have up front,” Glenn said. “Again, you build (the offense) inside out.
” When the Bears took Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, an invisible clock began counting down. Chicago needed to build around its promising young star, or else they’d risk wasting the talents of a potential franchise quarterback.
Since that point, the Bears have done exactly that, and the 2025 draft was no different. After taking Michigan tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall, the Bears took Burden 29 picks later.
This came despite the existence of two solid receivers already on the roster that the Bears used a lot of assets on: DJ Moore, who Chicago gave a $100 million contract to in 2023, and Rome Odunze, who the Bears used the No. 9 overall pick on last season. While Chicago may have been “weaker” at other positions, Bears general manager Ryan Poles simply couldn’t pass up a player who was widely considered a first-round pick not too long ago.
"It was clear he was the most talented player on the board,” Poles said. “We think he's an electric play-maker, highly competitive, and the run after the catch is special. Probably the best in this class.
" As the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, Johnson’s offense centered around getting playmakers the ball and letting them produce in space. After-the-catch ability is arguably Burden’s best strength: according to Pro Football Focus, almost 61% of his receiving yards at Mizzou came after the catch. Last season, 56.
1% of Detroit’s receiving yards came after the catch. Burden's production dipped in 2024 comparatively to 2023, where the former five-star recruit looked like one of the best wideouts in college football. But even with the drop-off in stats, the Bears seemed to value traits over the box score, including Burden’s versatility.
"We see him as a guy that can play both (inside and outside), honestly," director of college scouting Breck Ackley said. "With what we're trying to build with Coach (Ben) Johnson, it's multiple, everybody moving around, so you can't get a beat. It can open the offense up.
So, he adds right into that. I think he has the route running and physicality to win outside, I think he has the separation ability and toughness to win inside." With Burden and Loveland in the mix, it’s clear that the Bears are going all-in on giving Williams the best support system possible.
It’s a welcome sight for a team that’s lacked electricity on offense for many years; now, with a rebuilt offensive line as well, the Bears look like one of the more exciting offenses in the league. “They’re really building something right now. I can just see it,” Bears fan Rick Merkel, a season-ticket holder for over 30 years, said in Green Bay.
“It’s different for a Bear fan because we haven’t had this in a while.” The only other Tiger selected in the draft was Bryant, who was taken with pick No. 220.
MU’s left tackle will join an offense that got some major upgrades during the draft. The Patriots used their first four picks on offense, including the No. 4 overall selection, former LSU left tackle Will Campbell.
For an offense that finished No. 30 in points per game last season, the offense-centric draft strategy was much-needed. How much Bryant plays immediately remains to be seen.
ESPN lists Bryant as New England’s backup right tackle behind Morgan Moses, who signed with the Patriots in free agency. However, Bryant played all but two of his 3,143 collegiate snaps at left tackle, which included four years at SMU and last season at Mizzou. While both tackle spots appear to be occupied by Campbell and Moses, Bryant has a viable path to earning a spot on New England’s 53-man roster, as New England’s other offensive tackles weren’t particularly good last season.
Demontrey Jacobs had a 38.4 PFF grade, while Caeden Wallace and Vederian Lowe’s grades were in the low 50’s. After starting their college careers elsewhere, both Wease and Noel end up in Florida after short stints with Mizzou.
For Wease Jr., he offers something that the Dolphins don’t have much of at wide receiver, which is an elite ability to win jump balls. Only one of the six wideouts listed on Miami’s depth chart (Tarik Black) is listed over six feet tall.
However, Miami’s offense emphasizes speed, and speed isn’t exactly Wease Jr.’s biggest strength – he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
For Noel, he has a tall hill to climb in order to make Miami’s 53-man roster – on paper, at least. De’Von Achane has electrified over his first two NFL seasons, and 2024 fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright was a decent rotational piece in the backfield. The Dolphins also added to the room over the offseason: they signed veteran running back Alexander Mattison to a one-year, $1.
3 million deal, and they used a fifth-round pick on former Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II. Schematically, Gordon may have an advantage over Noel. The Dolphins utilized Achane as a receiver, both out of the backfield and out wide.
Hill and Waddle’s ability to scratch the field often left space in the flat, and Achane took advantage. In college, Gordon II was utilized much more in the passing game than Noel; Gordon had 15 more catches and 269 more receiving yards in two fewer seasons than Noel. On the other hand, as mentioned previously, Miami’s offensive success is largely built upon speed.
Noel has Gordon beat in that department: he ran an unofficial 4.52 at Mizzou’s Pro Day, while Gordon ran an official 4.61 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
For as much production and leadership Walker Jr. and Williams provided to Mizzou, it’ll be tough sledding to get playing time on a loaded defensive line in Denver. The Broncos led the league in sacks last season with 63 sacks.
While 23.5 of them came from a pair of linebackers in Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper, Zach Allen, John Franklin-Meyers and Malcolm Roach were key cogs to success. Additionally, all of those players will return for the 2025 season.
19 years after former MU quarterback Brad Smith was selected by the Jets, another lauded Tiger QB is heading to New York. Cook joined Membou signing a UDFA contract with the Jets on Saturday. In regards to the depth chart, Fields appears entrenched as the QB1 – Mougey said in March that "We believe Justin is the starter”.
Plus, the Jets have a large financial commitment to him, as they gave Fields a two-year, $40 million contract with $30 million guaranteed in free agency. Should Fields officially win the job before the 2025 season, veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor would likely be the backup. Behind Taylor are a pair of former dual-threat QBs in college: Jordan Travis, a fifth-round pick last year, and Adrian Martinez, a 2023 UDFA signing.
Neither of whom has appeared in a regular season game so far. On paper, Cook may offer more prowess with his arm. In the lone season he was fully healthy (2023), Cook threw for more passing yards (3,317) than Travis and Martinez did in a single season.
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