I got a chance to talk with Jacob Infante the lead draft analyst at Windy City Gridiron to discuss the Mizzou draft prospects who are hoping to get their named called at some point in the next few days.
With the draft beginning tonight, here are my questions and his answers about each guy.
Armand Membou
Kyle: What have you been hearing recently about Armand Membou and what have been the keys to his rising stock since the season ended?
Jacob: I think a lot of Membou’s rise comes down to people finally making their way around to his tape. Admittedly, with offensive linemen, some analysts tend to be late to the party if players take a big leap and need a breakout moment like the Combine or the Senior Bowl to take notice.
Though Membou tested very well at the Combine, that athleticism shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who kept up with his career. He’s always been a freak athlete; it’s just been a matter of consistency with him. His technique took a massive leap in 2024, particularly in terms of his hand placement and overall spatial awareness.
Kyle: It seems like the consensus in mock drafts has become somewhere from pick 4-7. What do you think is a realistic destination where he would fit best?
Jacob: I think the New York Jets at No. 7 overall would be a great fit for Membou. It would allow him to stay put at his natural position of right tackle, putting to bed any concerns around whether he can play left tackle in the NFL or not. He and Olu Fashanu would give the Jets two extremely athletic bookends for their offensive line.
Luther Burden
Kyle: With Luther Burden, what’s been dragging his stock down recently to where he’s sometimes being mocked as a second rounder now?
Jacob: Part of Burden’s decreasing draft stock, in my opinion, comes down to his down year of production in 2024. Granted, I’m not sure how much of that lies truly on him, since Missouri’s usage of him wasn’t as effective as it could’ve been.
Though I still see Burden as a top-20 player in this class, it feels like the production drop off and some questions surrounding his full NFL route tree have caused some concerns.
Kyle: On the route tree part, what do you make of the recent leak of his practice tape after being requested by teams? Does that seem like a bad sign or just teams doing their due diligence?
Jacob: That seems to be more like teams doing their due diligence on him. If anything, in my eyes, his tape speaks for itself when it comes to his overall athleticism, ball skills and playmaking ability after the catch. NFL teams know he has those traits at a high level, but I read into the practice film as teams saying, “Hey, we know Mizzou didn’t use a full NFL route tree on him. Can we see what it would look like if he ran these route concepts we haven’t seen from him before?”
Brady Cook/Johnny Walker Jr./Theo Wease
Kyle: Let’s group together the remaining guys, since I know the analyst focus is more spent at the top of the draft. What have you heard about the possibilities of Brady Cook, Johnny Walker and/or Theo Wease getting their names called at all versus needing to sign as UDFAs?
Jacob: My guess is two of them get drafted. If I had to put money down now, I’d wager that those two players would be Cook and Walker.
Wease should get plenty of NFL looks, but I’m not sure if his athletic traits are up to par for teams to use a pick on him.
Cook is an effective game manager with good athleticism, so I can see a team taking a shot on him in Rounds 6 or 7.
The real wild card here is Walker, as he was seen as one of the bigger snubs from the Combine this year. I think his tape and production warrant late-round looks, though it wouldn’t shock me if he slipped under the radar.
Thanks again to Jacob Infante, you can find his work analyzing the draft at Windy City Gridiron.
The first round will begin tonight at 7 p.m., while the second round will start at 5 p.m. Friday and the fourth round will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
