Who is Mizzou’s best offensive lineman?

Offensive statement play has been vibes-based for complete a century, simply because location is nary easy, numerical measurement to measure lineplay different than starts and snaps played.

Advanced analytics offers an expertise to amended measure individual players pinch numbers, but a.) they aren’t easy measured by a fan, and b.) truthful overmuch of statement play is based connected who plays good together.

Offensive statement is highly technical, yes, but it tends to beryllium much of an creation than a science.

And yet! We’re going to breakdown nan violative statement via numbers today. I know. I’m conscionable arsenic amazed arsenic you are.

We’ll look astatine starts and snaps of nan full Missouri violative line, of course, but besides propulsion stats that PFF tracks connected performance. As pinch ever different lawsuit wherever I crib from PFF: you tin deliberation they’re bully aliases bad and that’s good but I’m utilizing them for everyone truthful it’ll astatine slightest beryllium consistent.

Here we go.

These are each nan o-linemen who person really played astatine nan collegiate level. There are 5 different freshman that aren’t listed connected present because…well, they’re freshman.

I’m going to break this database down into different categories. I want to constituent retired up front: location isn’t a azygous feline connected this database who has acquisition starting astatine correct tackle and, fixed that lefty backmost Austin Simmons has a unsighted broadside that will beryllium protected by a correct tackle, that is what I would see a noticeable problem.

Here’s nan dudes classed by category:

Its a bummer that nan astir knowledgeable lineman by snaps is injured correct now and will apt miss games successful nan fall. Also, there’s only 3 different guys pinch complete 1,000 snaps successful experience, and 1 of them is an FCS telephone up. Could beryllium an issue. Maybe its not. But it’s worthy pointing out.

I’m not going to break this batch down by starts because it’s nan aforesaid database arsenic supra pinch Sorensen and Giudice swapped acknowledgment to Colin having 2 much starts complete Dom. Not worthy a abstracted section, says I.

Let’s adhd immoderate discourse to these grades: nan folks complete astatine PFF mostly see a people of 60.0 to beryllium nan mean for immoderate fixed PFF metric - including tally blocking - connected a 0-100 scale. Performance grades successful nan 70s are supra average, while grades complete 90 are considered elite.

With that successful mind, there’s a batch to takeaway from this ranking set.

First, Cayden Green rules.

Second, this group of Missouri violative lineman were very pedestrian successful tally blocking past year. Now, immoderate of them weren’t connected nan squad yet but, still: nan 2 large additions Missouri added connected nan statement are 2 of nan 3 worst tally blockers among this batch, and Zack Owens was nan worst successful 2025!

But moreover of nan guys connected nan team, backup lineman Tristan Wilson was nan champion tally blocker down Green and he didn’t moreover get into “above average” territory of a 70. Same for full-time starter defender Dominick Giudice. The remainder of nan existing Missouri boys were a fewer tenths of a percent supra nan minimum anticipation for “average”.

And successful lawsuit you were wondering, Connor Tollison graded retired to a 59.7 and Keagen Trost a 91.4 for tally blocking successful 2025.

The truth that Missouri loses a 59.7 and 91.4 successful tally blocking and is replacing it pinch 2 below-average options isn’t inspiring. Let’s dream violative statement coach Brandon Jones tin activity his magic and move those 2 into NFL Draft-caliber linemen successful a azygous offseason!

Which tin hap mind you! Trost’s tally blocking people earlier showing up astatine Mizzou: 69.9.

I cited passim nan in-season podcasts of past autumn and successful nan fewer pieces I’ve written astir nan violative since then: Missouri was really bully astatine walk blocking. They conscionable didn’t person a very bully passer to artifact for!

And earlier you opportunity “yeah, well, Missouri was only throwing speedy hitters, thing deep”: these grades relationship for that. It’s astir method and playing arsenic a unit, arsenic good arsenic really you execute against individual blocking matchups. “Time to throw” does not facet successful to that. And Missouri’s violative linemen were almost each comfortably supra average, pinch Green flirting pinch “elite” territory.

Even better: nan transfers are coagulated walk blockers arsenic well. Not astir arsenic bully arsenic nan existing Missouri guys, but again, Brandon Jones is simply a wizard and tin (hopefully) activity wonders successful a short magnitude of time.

Sorensen and Atkins gave up a batch arsenic starters; Wilson and Work gave up very small arsenic rotational guys. Green gave up 7 pressures connected nan twelvemonth and it felt for illustration 6 of those happened successful nan first crippled of nan year.

Atkins and Sorensen find themselves connected nan bottom, and they were afloat clip starters conscionable for illustration Green/Peagler/Giudice.

I added this 1 for discourse but a bully chunk of hits allowed falls connected nan quarterback, akin to sacks. But it’s absorbing to spot regardless.

Atkins and Sorensen erstwhile against astatine nan bottom. As a reminder, Sorensen played 701 snaps successful 2025, while Atkins played 792. Green (750 snaps), Giudice (897), and Peagler (833) vanished pinch amended percentages successful this stats arsenic good arsenic nan earthy numbers.

I’m overmuch little concerned astir missing Josh Atkins arsenic an instant-impact summation connected nan statement because his capacity past twelvemonth was not great. He decidedly needed much clip pinch Brandon Jones successful bid to get to nan level that Armand Membou and Keagen Trost sewage to, and he won’t person that acknowledgment to nan injury.

Obviously Colin Sorensen, Zack Owens, and everyone other gets a spring, summer, and autumn pinch Mr. Jones, meaning immoderate of these guys could conceivably make nan leap to beryllium Mizzou’s adjacent elite correct tackle. But that personification doesn’t beryllium yet and whoever does make that leap will beryllium massively improving their capacity from past year.

It tin beryllium done, though! Don’t hide that!

To reply nan mobility I posed astatine nan beginning, here’s really I’d rank Missouri’s existent violative linemen who person really played successful college:

*You tin put those past 4 successful immoderate bid because I person nary thought what they tin do astatine this point