6 days Ago By Amelia Hurley
Mizzou made a late-round splash in the NFL Draft, as offensive tackle Marcus Bryant was selected with the No. 220 overall pick by the New England Patriots on Saturday. Bryant, a seventh-round pick, was the third Tiger selected in the draft, following first-round pick offensive tackle Armand Membou to the New York Jets (No.
7) and wide receiver Luther Burden III to the Chicago Bears (No. 39). He'll be joining a Patriots squad that struggled under then-rookie quarterback Drake Maye in 2024, as New England finished this past season 4-13.
The 6-foot-7, 320-pound left tackle started all 13 games at left tackle in the 2024 season for the Tigers and played 975 snaps in his lone year with Missouri. Before transferring ahead of the season, Bryant spent four years at SMU, where he earned 2023 First Team All-AAC selection. Bryant, the fifth-year senior from Round Rock, Texas, received praise in scouting reports over his strength and skill.
"Bryant is a tall tackle whose upper-body strength and punch timing are critical in making up for his lack of natural knee-bend," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said in Bryant's prospect profile . "He’s an average run blocker who might be able to reduce his run-block losses with fewer outside-zone reps. Bryant has the tools to provide pass protection in the NFL, but he needs to keep working on the consistency of his technique.
Bryant was the lone Mizzou player selected in Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Still, other former Tigers made their way into the pro league. Theo Wease Jr.
: Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. was the first former Mizzou player to sign an undrafted free agent deal after the NFL Draft ended, inking with the Miami Dolphins. Wease originally played at Oklahoma for three seasons before spending the 2023-24 seasons at Mizzou.
Across his five-year collegiate career, he started in 43 out of 62 games, catching a career 173 receptions for 2,610 yards and 20 touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior ran a time of 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
He also logged a 31-inch vertical jump at the Combine. Wease, a team captain during the 2024 season, also represented the Tigers at the post-season East-West Shrine Bowl..
