Mizzou’s Zion Young and Josiah Trotter taken back-to-back in the 2026 NFL draft

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has his first players selected in the  2026 NFL Draft

Mizzou edge rusher Zion Young was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round with the 45th pick in the NFL draft. He is the first player selected from the Tigers roster this season.

During his senior year, he lead the team with 16.5 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits, while finishing second in sacks. Young was fourth in the conference in sacks per game, and was named to the All-SEC second team by the league.

The Ravens were bottom four in the league in sacks last year, so Young will look to make an immediate impact on that end.

Tiger Linebacker Josiah Trotter was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the very next pick.

In his single season in Columbia, the redshirt sophomore led the team in tackles with 84, and was second in tackles for loss.

He capped off his season with two impressive performances against Oklahoma and Arkansas where he finished with 13 and 10 tackles respectively. Trotter is the second defensive player taken by Tampa Bay, joining former Miami Hurricane Reuben Bain Jr.

Josiah is the third member of the Trotter family to make it to the NFL. His father Jeremiah was an AP All-Pro first team linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, and spent one season with the Buccaneers during the 2007-08 season. His brother, Jeremiah Jr., is a member of the Eagles current roster.