Markus Golden
Mizzou football’s Mitch Morse (Austin, Texas) and Markus Golden (St. Louis, Mo.) were both selected on day two of the NFL Draft on Friday (May 1), giving Mizzou three selections thus far after Shane Ray (Kansas City, Mo.) was drafted in the Thursday’s first round. Morse was taken with the 17th pick of the second round (49th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs while Golden was selected with the 26th pick of the second round (58th overall) by the Arizona Cardinals.
Mizzou has now had 29 players drafted under the direction of head coach Gary Pinkel while Mizzou as a program has had 47 total players selected in history.
Morse was voted by the SEC coaches as an All-SEC Second Team honoree. The Texas native started all 14 games and started his final 38 games as a Tiger at right tackle, protecting the blindside of QB Maty Mauk. He was a cornerstone of an offensive line that helped Mizzou rack up an average of 367.0 yards per game, including 177.9 yards per game on the ground. Morse helped guide Mizzou to a 24-5 record and back-to-back SEC East Championships in his last two seasons, serving as a captain in 2014.
Mitch Morse (photo/Mizzou Athletics)
Golden evolved into a fan favorite with his high motor over the past two seasons. Golden earned All-SEC Second Team honors at defensive end from the league’s coaches and was an Associated Press All-SEC honorable mention selection as well. The St. Louis, Mo., native was Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week following his performance at Tennessee (Nov. 22) and was SEC Defensive Player of the Week as well. He finished 2014 third on the team with his 78 tackles, 20 of which went for a loss to go along with 10.0 sacks and a team-high 12 quarterback hurries. He also forced three fumbles and recovered three more. Golden ranked ninth nationally in tackles for loss and is 20th nationally in sacks, ranking in the top-six in the SEC in both categories. He was a monster in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, earning MVP honors with a game-high 10 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and 1.5 sacks. He also added three QB hurries in the 33-17 win over Minnesota
The NFL Draft will be wrapped up tomorrow in Chicago with several other Tiger hopefuls waiting to hear their names.
