Can Missouri football keep any, or all, of 3 early NFL Draft prospects?

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Columbia Daily Tribune
Can Missouri football keep any, or all, of 3 early NFL Draft prospects?

Calum McAndrew, Columbia Daily Tribune · Columbia Daily Tribune

Mon, Dec 8, 2025 ·

5 min read

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Three third-year players have a choice to make, and their decisions could change the way Missouri football operates in the offseason.

College football's early signing day has passed, and Mizzou signed 19 players in its Class of 2026 for a group that ranks among the top-35 in the country. The transfer portal, in a slight change from the past few years, is still nearly a month away from officially opening.

The portal window has been moved back to January and shortened to two weeks, with the official window for entries now Jan. 2-16. A couple of Missouri players, backup wide receiver James Madison II and running back Brendon Haygood, have already announced an intention to enter the portal, but that's not quite the same as officially processing the paperwork.

That means Mizzou can't make any new signings until January. Between now and then, three draft decisions could heavily impact how Missouri approaches the portal.

Left tackle Cayden Green, middle linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive end Damon Wilson II each are draft eligible after this season.

All three players have spent three seasons in college, which is the minimum required before declaring for the NFL Draft. Green and Wilson are juniors this year, and Trotter is a redshirt sophomore.

Each player can, if they choose, return to Mizzou next season. That would certainly help the Tigers in 2026.

Here's how likely that might be for each player:

Will junior Damon Wilson II declare for the draft? His exit seems most likely

Missouri Tigers defensive end Damon Wilson II (8) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.

Wilson is currently the No. 79-overall prospect on Mock Draft Database's most-recent consensus big board. That gives him a third-round projection, and he is among the top-15 edge rushers in this class.

The Georgia transfer and former five-star prospect was asked about whether or not he had thought about declaring for the draft on Tuesday, Nov. 25. His answer:

"I can't worry about the future right now," Wilson said. "I gotta worry about still trying to get better. Still only 20 (years old) and got a lot to improve."

Per Pro Football Focus, Wilson generated 49 pressures on opposing quarterbacks this season, which was the second-most in the SEC behind only Colin Simmons at Texas. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. It would not be a surprise to see his name rise up boards through the draft process, if he opts to declare early.

Mizzou is already losing one star defensive end, as Zion Young is out of eligibility and is one of ESPN writer Matt Miller's top-50 prospects in this class.

Whatever way Wilson's decision goes, the Tigers are likely to target a defensive end in the portal.

It's unclear whether a recent lawsuit from Georgia, which is seeking $390,000 from the defensive end over a contract dispute with its former NIL collective, will impact Wilson's draft decision. There's no clear or obvious reason that it would sway him one way or the other.

More: Georgia seeks $390K in contract damages from Missouri football defensive end

Cayden Green, left tackle

Green's move to left tackle has changed his draft stock a little. Several early 2026 projections in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 NFL Draft, when he was still playing left guard for Mizzou, indicated that he might get some first-round buzz.

After the 2025 regular season, that's mostly gone. Green is currently the No. 120 prospect on the consensus big board at Mock Draft Database. That's a fourth-round spot.

Green was one of PFF's top-20-graded starting pass blockers this season, which ranked No. 4 among offensive tackles. For what it's worth, Mizzou right tackle Keagan Trost — who is out of eligibility — was the nation's highest-graded run blocker.

If Green returns for his senior season, which likely would be as a left tackle, then there's a chance he could increase his draft stock. The Lee's Summit, Missouri, product has great size at 6-5, 324 and is quick on his feet.

This one feels like more of a coin toss. Green told the Tribune at the start of the season that he didn't know if this would be his last year in Columbia. It might depend heavily on what kind of grade he gets from the NFL.

Miller at ESPN has him evaluated as a guard at the next level, and he checks in as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman on his prospect list. If that pans out, Green is almost certainly a top-100 pick.

Mizzou is likely to chase an offensive tackle this offseason to replace Trost. The Tigers will likely need two if Green goes to the league.

Josiah Trotter, middle linebacker

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Josiah Trotter (40) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Trotter is currently a potential Day 2 pick, as he's the No. 101-ranked player on the consensus big board at Mock Draft Database, which is a third-round spot. The middle linebacker had an outstanding season after transferring to the Tigers from West Virginia.

He was Mizzou's leading tackler and trailed only Young for tackles for loss, recording 13 behind-the-line hits. PFF graded him as the second-best run defending linebacker in the SEC behind only Georgia star CJ Allen, who is a likely first-rounder.

Trotter almost certainly has a professional future. His father is a former Pro Bowler. His brother currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles .

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There's a good chance that happens this year, depending on his NFL grades. Mizzou is already set to lose Triston Newson and Khalil Jacobs to eligibility, meaning Nicholas Rodriguez could be the only returner from the 2025 rotation next season.

Linebacker is going to be a position Mizzou targets in the portal, but how many players the Tigers target at the second level is going to be highly dependent on Trotter's decision.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Which Missouri football players are early NFL Draft candidates?

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