Who's next? Here’s how Missouri football’s defensive ends shape up heading into fall camp

The Tigers, for the first time since 2017, have the task of replacing a first-round NFL Draft pick.

Darius Robinson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 27 overall pick in this year’s draft, leaving Missouri football with a gap to fill at defensive end.

They have some options at the position, with the Cotton Bowl defensive MVP returning for his senior year, a stellar recruiting class joining the squad and some encouraging work in the transfer portal setting the stage for new defensive ends coach Brian Early’s room.

Over the offseason, former Mizzou edge coach Kevin Peoples followed defensive coordinator Blake Baker to LSU. Now, it’s over to Early to set the edge position up for a success in a 2024 campaign that teases a potential MU run at the expanded College Football Playoff.

Here is how Missouri’s defensive end room looks heading into fall camp. Every scholarship player and any notable walk-on is mentioned:

The options for Missouri football at defensive end

Starters:Joker: Johnny Walker Jr., sr.; Field: Zion Young, jr.

Reserves: Darris Smith, jr.; Joe Moore III, sr.; Williams Nwaneri, fr.; Eddie Kelly, jr.; Jakhai Lang, r-fr.; Elias Williams, fr.; Jaylen Brown, fr.

Cotton Bowl defensive MVP Johnny Walker Jr. returns and will likely be the lead boundary end for the Tigers — a position new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon is calling the Joker role. Michigan State transfer Zion Young looks likely to man the field end role.

There will be plenty of rotation in and out among the DEs, with Georgia transfer Darris Smith a prime contender to split reps with Walker, as will second-year MU edge Joe Moore III.

Georgia Tech transfer Eddie Kelly, who committed to Mizzou in the spring, has the potential to line up at defense end or defensive tackle. If he’s at defensive end, he’s probably playing a similar role to Young.

Five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri is about to undergo his first camp as a Tiger, as are promising rookies Elias Williams and Jaylen Brown.

The upside

Replacing the production of a first-round draft pick is never going to be easy, but Mizzou appears to have done a good job in procuring capable replacements.

Smith is extremely athletically gifted, standing at 6 foot 5, 240 pounds. Like Walker, Batoon appears to have tabbed him as a contender to serve as one of MU’s primary pass-rushers. He’ll also be able to drop back into coverage, having repped at outside linebacker for the Bulldogs.

Young was a frequent member of the Michigan State defensive end room last season, with 556 snaps logged over 12 games and 26 tackles and 25 quarterback pressures.

They’ll join a proven entity in Walker, who registered 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles last season.

It looks a little different from last year, but the early signs are encouraging for the Tigers.

One question or concern

Talent? Yes.

But guaranteed production? That’s to be determined.

Missouri is relying on each of its portal hauls to be hits.

Smith figures to rotate in and out frequently with Walker. Young and Kelly, if they do indeed end up manning the same side, both need to be effective pieces almost from the jump.

Walker has been a success story in Missouri’s development of an edge rusher. Robinson, before him, was another. But there doesn’t appear to be another obvious piece coming down the pipeline for this season other than Jakhai Lang, who did not play in 2023.

If any of the portal acquisitions don’t meet the standard, Mizzou may have to turn, as talented as their recruiting rankings say they are, to a true or redshirt freshman.

Breakout candidate

Here’s why the above answer, despite the concerns it raises, wouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker for Missouri. Williams Nwaneri, the top defensive line prospect in his class, will be vying for reps early in his college career anyway.

Sometimes it’s fine to pick the obvious answer. Nwaneri, a Lee’s Summit North in Kansas City product, is the No. 8 prospect and the third-best defensive player in the Class of 2024, per the recruiting service 247Sports’ rankings.

Mizzou had to fight off just about every major program in the country to keep him in the state, and there’s a good reason for that. When Missouri’s season kicks off Thursday, Aug. 29, against Murray State, it would not be a surprise to see Nwaneri run out for a down on Faurot Field.

More: Three transfers who could help define Missouri football’s success in 2024 season

More: Missouri football preseason preview: What Oklahoma will bring when old foes reunite

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here’s how Missouri football’s defensive ends shape up heading into fall