A projected depth chart for Missouri Tigers football, including the offense and defense

With SEC Media Days in the rearview, talkin’ season is all but over and actual football is just around the corner.

Accordingly, the Missouri Tigers are configuring their depth chart for the 2023 season.

Today we take a look at how Mizzou’s depth chart might look heading into the start of camp.

First up is the offense. Then we’ll focus on a defense that was nothing short of stellar last fall and returns the bulk of those starters.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK:

1. Brady Cook

2. Sam Horn/Jake Garcia

3. Dylan Liable

4. Gabarri Johnson

The most important position in sports will feature competition at MU ahead of the 2023 season. Last year, Cook, Jack Abraham and Tyler Macon competed for the starting spot. This year will see a similar battle, except Horn is a major player in the QB1 race and Garcia is an interesting third competitor.

Cook earns the edge. Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz noted that he’s giving Cook the first shot at first-team reps during camp. Drinkwitz said the MU staff will take as much time as needed to name an official starter and even alluded to the prospect of using multiple quarterbacks through the first two games.

Drinkwitz has also mentioned in the past that he likes having two quarterbacks share the role, as one might be better suited to play against a certain team than the other.

RUNNING BACKS:

1. Cody Schrader/Nate Peat

2. Tavorus Jones

3. Jamal Roberts

This position thinned out a bit with the departures of Elijah Young, Taj Butts and BJ Harris, but there’s still returning experience and promising young players who could see playing time this season.

Peat and Schrader, two of MU’s leading rushers, return to give the Tigers a one-two punch again behind a revamped offensive line. Peat’s breakaway speed compliments Schrader’s rugged running, but Jones and Roberts are waiting in the wings.

Roberts is a true freshman, but with Harris, Young and Butts departed there’s a depth role open for him on special teams as a cover man, or even in the return game. Jones saw limited action last season and is in line for a larger role behind Peat and Schrader.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

Z-receiver

1. Mookie Cooper

2. Dannis Jackson

X-receiver

1. Theo Wease

2. Demaryius Houston

Slot receiver

1. Luther Burden

2. Mekhi Miller

The receiver position should feature plenty of familiar names, especially with Cooper and Burden returning. However, Burden is moving over to the slot where Dominic Lovett was last fall. That will put Burden in different types of scenarios that suit his playmaking ability.

Drinkwitz slotted Wease into the X-receiver position and Cooper logically fits on the other side at the Z position. Cooper brings speed and shiftiness to the outside and Wease boasts good size.

This is the deepest position MU has and perhaps the most talented. Expect a big year from Burden as he assumes the slot role.

TIGHT ENDS:

1. Tyler Stephens OR Ryan Hoerstkamp

2. Brett Norfleet OR Max Wishner

This position was troublesome for MU last season. A consistent and productive starter never emerged, but now an influx of youth is present alongside two players with experience.

Norfleet has the size and athleticism to rise up the depth chart through camp and the first few games. Stephens and Hoerstkamp could also earn increased playing time.

OFFENSIVE LINE:

Right tackle

1. Marcellus Johnson

2. MaKyi Lee

Right guard

1. Armand Membou

2. Mitchell Walters

Center

1. Cam’Ron Johnson

2. Bence Polgar/Connor Tollison

Left guard

1. Xavier Delgado

2. EJ Ndoma-Ogar

Left tackle

1. Javon Foster

2. Valen Ericksen

We can’t deny that the offensive line appears to be better than it was last season. Cam’Ron and Marcellus Johnson transfered in and pair with Armand Membou to reshape the middle and right side of the line.

On the left, Foster is a lock on the blind side. The preseason All-SEC second-team tackle will pair with Delgado on the left, unless Ndoma-Ogar beats him out during camp.

Newcomers, including first-year assistant coach Brandon Jones, offer a breath of fresh air as well as a fresh start. Don’t be surprised if MaKyi Lee and Valen Ericksen see playing time as swing tackles or in different packages.

This is the unit that has the most to prove after a disappointing 2022 season. Injuries and overall struggles put the MU O-line in the spotlight for the wrong reasons a year ago. The 2023 season gives them the chance to make up for that.

And now, the defense.

DEFENSE

LINEBACKERS:

Middle linebacker

1. Chad Bailey

2. Dameon Wilson

Will linebacker

1. Ty’Ron Hopper

2. Chuck Hicks/Tristan Newson

The linebackers are the brains of the defense and it shows with how much experience they bring. Hopper and Bailey started together last season and are back to lead the second level of the defense. Hopper could elevate his NFL Draft status with another successful season.

Behind those two is Wilson, who showed his mettle when he started in place of Bailey against Georgia and didn’t miss a step. Hicks and Newson have earned rave reviews from Drinkwitz this offseason, too.

CORNERBACKS:

Left cornerback

1. Kris Abrams-Draine

2. Marcus Clarke

Right cornerback

1. Ennis Rakestraw

2. Dreyden Norwood

Star

1. Daylan Carnell

2. Tre’Vez Johnson

If the brains of the defense are the linebackers, the Mizzou cornerbacks could be considered the defense’s heart. Rakestraw came back from an ACL injury in 2022 and Abrams-Draine moved from the slot to the outside corner position. They combined for 26 pass breakups.

Behind those two are Clarke and Norwood, who bring experience and depth.

Carnell steps into the star role and has a chance to flourish as a playmaker. He led the team with five total turnovers last year: three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

SAFETIES:

Strong safety

1. Joseph Charleston

2. Marvin Burks

Free safety

1. Jaylon Carlies

2. Sidney Williams

Charleston and Carlies are two more returnees who started every game last season. Carlies tied for the team lead with three interceptions and Charleston was a dependable tackler who played well in coverage. Those two are dependable on the back end.

Williams, a Florida State transfer, could be a boon for the future. And Burks is a four-star true freshman from St. Louis. At SEC Media Days, Abrams-Draine alluded to the impression Burks has already made on the rest of the Tigers’ defensive backfield.

“Marvin, he a dog,” Abrams-Draine said. “We call him Starvin’ Marvin.”

DEFENSIVE LINE:

Right defensive tackle

1. Kristian Williams

2. Josh Landry/Marquis Gracial

Right defensive end

1. Joe Moore

2. Nyles Gaddy

Left defensive end

1. Darius Robinson

2. Austin Firestone/Johnny Walker

Left defensive tackle

1. Realus George

2. Jayden Jernigan

The biggest question mark of the defense lies in the front four after the departures of Isaiah McGuire and Trajan Jeffcoat. But it’s less of a conundrum than it appears to be.

Robinson returns as perhaps one of MU’s best NFL prospects, but he moves from the interior to the exterior. At the edge position, Robinson will lead the pass rush with Moore, a transfer from Arizona State.

In the rotation are Gaddy, a transfer from Jackson State, and Austin Firestone, a Northwestern transfer. The unit has the ahasbility to defend the run, but they’ll need to prove they can consistently rush the passer.

One player has earned some notice from Robinson, and that’s Johnny Walker. Walker saw an expanded role in the Gasparilla Bowl loss to Wake Forest, and Robinson said Walker impressed him. And there’s a chance Walker could leap Firestone or Gaddy during camp.

While the edge rushers are set, the MU defensive tackle rotation features familiar faces. Williams was effective in the rotation last season and Realus George is set for a larger role. Behind them are Jernigan and Landy, two rotational tackles who also know Baker’s system.

One player to watch here is Gracial, another guy singled out as impressive by Robinson.