Thanks to the portal Mizzou might have a top ten offensive line in the country in 2024.
We here at Rock M Nation always advise our readers to follow what coaches do and less about what they say. Why? Because anyone can get in front of a mic and say anything but words are only words until they’re put into action.
In this case, Eli Drinkwitz’s words and actions are perfectly aligned.
Drink has consistently said that this staff will never rest on the laurels and will constantly be scouting the portal ranks for ways they can improve their team, regardless of what they’re returning. And while I, at least, think they have an excellent roster as is, Drinkwitz went out and backed up his words but adding yet another impact transfer on the line.
At this point saying “DRINKWITZ IS AN ELITE RECRUITER” is worn out, as a fanbase that had been content to “trust the process” of bringing in high upside 2- and 3-star guys and turning them into all-conference and NFL Draft picks has been blitzed with a flurry of Top 25 recruiting classes and recruiting victories over traditional blue blood programs.
But take a moment and realize this phenomenon: in one recruiting/portal cycle, this Mizzou staff added the best offensive line talent in the portal in Cayden Green, and then added the second-best offensive line talent in the portal in Marcus Bryant.
Missouri did that. In a span of four months.
We knew this offense was going to be great if the offensive line gelled. And while adding talent on the line doesn’t mean they work well together…boy, there sure is enough talent that they could be great without even being a cohesive unit.
But I’d encourage the cohesion part. That’s important.
Let’s look at what former SMU Pony Marcus Bryant brings to Mizzou.
Where He Fits: Marcus Bryant is a 1st-Team All-AAC left tackle. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 150th-best offensive lineman last year with an overall grade of 69.2. Now, there are a lot of differing values on how PFF ranks players and – speaking for myself – I’m a little ambivalent on what they say about college players when they’re still playing in college. However, just to give you an idea of some numbers associated with a position that traditionally doesn’t have a lot of numbers next to it, his pass blocking grade is 74.6 and run blocking grade is 61.7.
As a comparison, here’s how last year’s line graded out for Missouri (from left to right):
- Javon Foster: 84.2 (9th) – 80.9 pass block, 85.8 run block
- Xavier Delgado: 70.5 (74th) – 67.8 pass block, 70.6 run block
- Connor Tollison: 75.9 (18th) – 64.8 pass block, 80.4 run block
- Cam’Ron Johnson: 66.6 (146th) – 53.9 pass block, 73.3 run block
- Armand Membou: 67.1 (188th) – 75.9 pass block, 64.4 run block
So it seems like Bryant is very similar to fellow 1st-Team All-AAC transfer lineman Cam’Ron Johnson in terms of how PFF sees it.
Our friend Bill Connelly says that, over 370 pass protection opportunities, Bryant gave up a quarterback pressure on 2.2% of those snaps (which is middle-of-the-back trending to not great, and the same percentage as Armand Membou) but only gave up one sack. His run blocking numbers are much better, for what it’s worth.
So all that being said…where would you put Bryant? The rumor is that Mizzou successfully sealed the deal with Cayden Green with promises to play the “money position” of left tackle, but Bryant has only played left tackle and has 2,240 snaps and four years’ experience doing so (versus Green’s 35 snaps). Do you try to Bryant at right tackle and move Membou in to right guard? Or move Green to right tackle? Or Green to guard?
Offensive line is almost more about five guys working together than the actual individual talent. And while talent can get you far, the elite lines are those that work as one unit the best. I’m not Brandon Johnson (thankfully) and don’t see practices but I’m sure they’ll try every alignment they can think to maximize the talent they have and appease the personal preferences as best as possible.
…if it were up to me, though, I’d go Bryant-Johnson-Tollison-Green-Membou. Man, I’m so glad I’m not a football coach. This stuff is stressful, man.
When He’ll Play: He’s one of the highest rated offensive line prospects in the portal. He’s playing immediately. You know that.
What It All Means: Marcus Bryant was an overlooked Texas prospect that might not have been at every recruiting camp or fully grown into the player he was going to be in high school. He had some low level offers but chose SMU and grew into an all-conference player that showed that he was much more than his high school film. Frankly: the transfer portal was made for guys like Marcus, who – for whatever reason – needed a few years to acclimate, dominate, and then get a chance to play at a higher level. Kudos to him.
But also kudos to Eli Drinkwitz and his staff. Under his reign Missouri has become a destination spot for elite transfers portal players. And Mizzou gets those types of players more often than not. This is fun. I’m having fun. The transfer portal is great.