Spring ball and the spring transfer portal are long behind us, which means Missouri's roster is taking more of a definitive shape. So now is as good a time as any, to compare the 2023 team to this year's team.
PowerMizzou will make a position-by-position comparison. Next up, are the defensive ends. We'll do just the top four scholarship players on the depth chart for this group.
Johnny Walker Jr. came into his own as a starter last year. After being a reserve his entire career, he finally got a chance to start and made the most of it. He had 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles in 13 games.
There's plenty of room for Walker to grow with Darius Robinson off to the NFL. It won't be easy because opposing offenses have got a year of tape on him but the speed rusher should be able to progress in his second season as a starter.
Robinson was the team's first player to be drafted in the first round since Charles Harris in 2017. In 2024, it's unlikely anyone can have the impact that Robinson had in 2023.
To make up for his departure, the team went portal shopping and found three competent ends who can produce.
Michigan State transfer Zion Young will likely step into fall camp with the starting role opposite Walker. Young had a decent spring camp that saw him see a lot of work with the first team, and the Tigers like what he can do as a run-stopper on the edge.
He had 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2023.
Eddie Kelly, formerly of Georgia Tech and South Florida, will probably be Young's main competition for the starting spot going into fall camp.
Unlike Young, Kelly transferred to the team after spring ball, so Young likely has the edge over him for now because of that.
However, Kelly racked up 38 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pair of pass deflections in 13 games for the Yellow Jackets last season. Like Robinson, he's also capable of playing defensive tackle.
Lastly, Darris Smith, formerly an outside linebacker at Georgia, has joined the EDGE group at Mizzou and is more akin to a promising prospect who will be given a chance to earn his spot in the rotation.
He only had three tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection in five games a year ago. When you add his three tackles and 11 games from his first year in Athens in 2022, he has just six tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection in 16 games.
He has loads of potential as a former four-star prospect, and playing at Georgia doesn't necessarily expose everyone to immense playing time.
Smith is a physical freak that could be compared to a smaller version of what DJ Coleman was in 2022.
The former Bulldog may have a higher upside long-term than some of the other players at the position trying to break into the rotation but he does have limited production when he's been on the field.
Nyles Gaddy was a solid contributor as the first EDGE off the bench in 2023 with 22 tackles, four sacks and four tackles for loss in his lone season in Columbia.
The former All-Southwestern Atlantic Conference selection was no slouch but Kelly and Young are starting-caliber players so they get the slight nod over him.
Joe Moore played in 12 games for Missouri last year and had 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. It's very possible that Moore could move up in the rotation and have a bigger role in 2024 but that'll be largely determined in fall camp.
During spring ball, EDGE coach Brian Early said that Moore was working on being more consistent and improving. Another offseason with the program could help that. It's also possible that Early being the EDGE coach instead of Kevin Peoples may work out better for him.
Sometimes a new voice can help make things click for a player.
Mizzou knows all about that. Offensive line coach Brandon Jones came to the team last April and helped turn an offensive line around that returned four starters.
It helps that Early is familiar with Moore from trying to recruit the latter to Houston last offseason.
Moore and Smith are the most likely candidates for the DE4 spot but the team is high on their freshmen EDGE class, which includes five-star prospect Williams Nwaneri.
At least one of the younger defensive ends, whether they're a freshman or sophomore Jahkai Lang, will probably take some snaps away even if they're not a top-four player on the depth chart.
Other scholarship defensive ends: Lang (So.), Nwaneri (Fr.), Elias Williams (Fr.), Jaylen Brown (Fr.)
Overall advantage: 2023
When you have a first-round pick at the position it's hard to say the position will be better after they've departed. Walker had a pretty good 2023 season and Gaddy's contributions may be overlooked because of who was in front of him on the depth chart but he had a decent stat line coming off the bench.
The 2023 group may not have been as deep as the 2024 team seems to be, but the top three players who played last year were a really quality group highlighted by a top pick.
In all fairness, talent-wise the 2024 group may go on to be much more talented and productive throughout their careers when you add in the talented freshmen but it would be a surprise to see a possible College Football Playoff contending team lean heavily on even of them.
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