It’s a golden era for Missouri football, with the team claiming back-to-back SEC East championships just three years into conference membership.

But coach Gary Pinkel has been turning overlooked recruits into early-round NFL picks for years now.

Prior to the 2009 NFL draft, just one of Mizzou’s eight most recent selections went off the board in the first three rounds. Since then, 12 of the team’s 17 draft picks have gone in the so-called money rounds, where NFL teams expect to find future starters.

RELATED: NFL.com’s seven-round mock draft loaded with SEC players

If Shane Ray gets selected in the first round this year, the Tigers will have produced a first-round pick in five of the last seven drafts, which is even more impressive considering Missouri usually has ranked outside the Top 25 in terms of recruiting.

G Mitch Morse and OLB Markus Golden also should get drafted this week as well, though they both may need to wait until Saturday (Rounds 4-7) to hear their names called.

Missouri has produced 25 NFL draft picks in the last decade:

2014 (4)

DE Kony Ealy (Carolina Panthers, second round)
OT Justin Britt (Seattle Seahawks, second round)
CB E.J. Gaines (St. Louis Rams, sixth round)
DE Michael Sam (St. Louis Rams, seventh round)

2013 (2)

DT Sheldon Richardson (New York Jets, first round)
LB Zaviar Gooden (Tennessee Titans, third round)

2012 (1)

TE Michael Egnew (Miami Dolphins, third round)

2011 (3)

LB Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers, first round)
QB Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars, first round)
LB Andrew Gachkar (San Diego Chargers, seventh round)

2010 (1)

LB Sean Weatherspoon (Atlanta Falcons, first round)

2009 (6)

WR Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles, first round)
DT Ziggy Hood (Pittsburgh Steelers, first round)
S William Moore (Atlanta Falcons, second round)
TE Chase Coffman (Cincinnati Bengals, third round)
OT Colin Brown (Kansas City Chiefs, fifth round)
DE Stryker Sulak (Oakland Raiders, sixth round)

2008 (2)

WR William Franklin (Kansas City Chiefs, fourth round)
TE Martin Rucker (Cleveland Browns, fourth round)

2007 (1)

LB Brian Smith (Jacksonville Jaguars, fourth round)

2006 (2)

QB Brad Smith (New York Jets, fourth round)
G Tony Palmer (St. Louis Rams, seventh round)

2005 (3)

DT Atiyyah Ellison (Carolina Panthers, third round)
RB Damien Nash (Tennessee Titans, fifth round)
DT C.J. Mosley (Minnesota Vikings, sixth round)