Missouri Tigers: Mizzou at the NFL Combine

Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Markus Golden (33) rushes past Florida Gators offensive lineman Roderick Johnson (55) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Missouri Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 42-13. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Continuing the tradition of a solid defensive line at Missouri is defensive end Markus Golden, the second half of the tenacious duo that is “GoldenRay”.

Like Ray, Golden’s specialty is getting after the quarterback.  Even with another sack artist on the other side of the line, Golden still managed to rack up nine sacks and a forced fumble. Golden should probably be getting more attention, but some of his stats were down this year due to Ray’s productivity.

Scouts would like him to put on a little more weight to be closer to the average NFL defensive end’s size. That size issue could be his biggest problem, as many NFL teams don’t see him as small enough to be able to play that outside linebacker position. If Golden can get in the gym and put on even more muscle, the NFL scouts will start to see his potential.

Golden is one of those guys that no one is really talking about now, but will get much more attention once he runs the 40 yard dash and NFL scouts see how fast he is. Golden’s draft stock has nowhere to go but up.

Here’s an excerpt from his ESPN draft profile.

"(On his Pass Rush Skills) Has good first-step quickness. Flashes initial power and ability to get OT off-balance with initial strike… However, speed-to-power moves stall out too often.   (On his Versatility) Not big enough to play five-technique…Has been easily pushed around when moving inside on tapes we studied."

Projected Draft Round: Early 3rd Round

Next: The Next X-Factor?