ST. LOUIS -- Mizzou players had a strong showing in the 2015 NFL Draft, despite top prospect Shane Ray's run-in with the law earlier this week.
Ray, one of the best edge rushers in the draft, received a citation for a marijuana possession charge Monday. He ended up going with the 23rd overall pick to the Denver Broncos on Thursday; according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, the Baltimore Ravens, at 26, were also interested in Ray, so Denver engineered a trade with the Lions to leapfrog from the 28th spot to 23.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Missouri was tied for second as the school with the most players selected through the first two rounds in 2015:
Here's where the remaining Tigers (and one former Tiger) ended up after Ray was taken in the first round:
• Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, Round 2, 40th overall (Titans): Green-Beckham, though dismissed by Mizzou at the end of 2013 after only two years there, was the next player drafted by Tennessee after it selected Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick. Green-Beckham had spent the 2014 season at Oklahoma, but couldn't play because of transfer rules. When he did take the field in college, Green-Beckham's talent was undeniable, but so were his problems away from the field, which likely hurt his chances at being a first-round pick. If he can keep out of trouble, Green-Beckham could become a valuable asset for Mariota. Last year, the Titans' offense finished 22nd in the league in cumulative passing yards and in yards per game.
• Guard Mitch Morse, Round 2, 49th overall (Chiefs): Morse, a projected third-round pick on NFL.com's draft profile, instead went to Kansas City only nine picks behind Green-Beckham. Morse was the second offensive lineman taken in Round 2 behind Penn State's Donovan Smith and, according to FOXSportsKansas City.com's Sean Keeler, could find starting time on the right side of the Chiefs' offensive line this season.
• Defensive end Markus Golden, Round 2, 58th overall (Cardinals): Golden was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the 26th pick in the second round, despite being a fourth- or fifth-round projection on the NFL.com draft profile. He will join a defense that ranked ninth overall last year.
• Wide receiver Bud Sasser, Round 6, 201st overall (Rams): It took six picks and six rounds for the St. Louis Rams to go homegrown this year, but they did just that when they took Sasser, the only wide receiver drafted by the team in 2015. Sasser will join a receiving corps that has shown promise and includes a previous first-round pick in Tavon Austin, but has yet to have one guy solidify a role as the team's No. 1 receiver.
• Running back Marcus Murphy, Round 7, 230rd overall (Saints): Murphy had to wait the longest of any Tiger to get the all-important phone call this weekend, but his reward is getting to work with such guys as Sean Payton and Drew Brees in New Orleans. NFL.com's draft tracker had him listed as either a seventh-rounder or priority free agent. Murphy may find a niche on the Saints' special teams units.
Forty-nine Mizzou players (not counting Green-Beckham) have been drafted into the NFL in the program's existence, and over half of those have come under the team's current head coach, Gary Pinkel.
You can follow Elisabeth Meinecke on Twitter at @lismeinecke or email her at ecmeinecke@gmail.com
