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Bills pick Missouri CB Toriano Pride in NFL draft seventh round: Highlights, stats
- Story byColumbia Daily Tribune
- Bills pick Missouri CB Toriano Pride in NFL draft seventh round: Highlights, stats
Mizzou's corner out of East St. Louis is heading to the NFL.
Missouri football cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 220-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 25, in Pittsburgh .
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Pride, who spent his last two college seasons with Missouri after transferring from Clemson, is the sixth Mizzou player to come off the board in this draft cycle, tying MU's record in the modern draft era.
Since the draft went to seven rounds in the 1990s, Mizzou has sent six players to the league as draft picks three times (2009, 2015 and 2024).
This year, defensive Zion Young (Round 2, No. 45, Baltimore ), middle linebacker Josiah Trotter (Round 2, No. 46, Tampa Bay), defensive tackle Chris McClellan (Round 3, No. 77, Green Bay), right tackle Keagen Trost (Round 3, No. 93, Rams) and wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (Round 5, No. 177, Miami ) came off the board before Pride.
Pride is a St. Louis native who played his high school football at East St. Louis High. The cornerback led Mizzou in interceptions in each of the past two years.
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Here is what you need to know about former Missouri corner and Bills draft pick Toriano Pride Jr.:
Toriano Pride college stats
Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. (2) celebrates after scoring against the Murray State Racers on a pick six during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Pride has been Mizzou's premier ballhawk for the past two seasons, picking off four passes over the past two years in Columbia. He returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns.
The corner played in 26 games for Mizzou and recorded 46 total tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 44 catches on 88 targets, exactly 50%.
Pride was a contributor at Clemson before transferring to Mizzou. In two seasons with Dabo Swinney's team, he had 36 total tackles, defended eight passes and picked off one pass.
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Toriano Pride highlights
Pride really put himself into the draft conversation with a remarkable 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.32-second time was the fastest among all cornerbacks this year.
But, the cornerback had already shown flashes of excellent ball skills over the past two seasons with Mizzou. He's fast, physical but lacks elite size for the position.
Still, he has a knack for finding the ball.
Toriano Pride height, weight
40-yard dash; 10-yard split:4.32 seconds; 1.51 seconds
Bench press:13 reps
Vertical jump; broad jump:37½ inches; 10-foot-8
Toriano Pride combine results
Height; weight:5-foot-10⅜; 185 pounds
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Arm length:31 inches
Hand size:9¼ inches
Pride had the fastest 40-yard dash time among all cornerbacks in Indianapolis , getting to 4.32 seconds on his second sprint.
Only five players, four wide receivers and a safety, at any position put up a better time all week, with Mississippi State wide receiver Brennen Thompson leading the pack at 4.26 seconds.
Toriano Pride of the Missouri Tigers participates in the 40-yard dash during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Toriano Pride high school
Pride attended East St. Louis High in Illinois.
He was a four-star prospect and a top-100 recruit in the Class of 2022.
Toriano Pride draft grade
Jacob Camenker, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today: "Pride showed off blazing speed at the 2026 NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash. His 5-10, 185-pound frame will likely render him a slot cornerback at the pro level and the Bills needed depth there after trading Taron Johnson during the offseason. Grade:B+."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Toriano Pride draft: Bills pick Missouri CB in NFL draft seventh round
