Missouri was just a combined 18 points from finishing the 2022 regular season with a 10-2 overall record instead of the 6-6 one it came out with after becoming bowl-eligible in the season-finale victory over Arkansas.

Throughout the season, the main story for the Tigers was an offense with a developing and inconsistent quarterback plagued by play-calling issues to go with a defense that was among the top 25 in the nation for the better part of the year.

At regular season’s end, here is how Missouri grades out at each position group:

Quarterback: C

There were times during the season that Brady Cook flashed upside as a true dual-threat quarterback and others in which he looked like the inexperienced player that he is with some ill-placed passes and some questionable decision-making. While it’s something that certainly must improve moving forward, it’s also something you simply have to give some grace to with the time it takes for the game to slow down for a young passer.

Cook finished the regular season with a 65.2% completion rate, passing for 2,505 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He added 547 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.

Some were calling for Sam Horn during the season, but Cook is who Mizzou stuck with, and it will remain that way at least until things get underway in camp.

Running back: B

Missouri’s ground game was largely headed by Nathaniel Peat and Cody Schrader, the latter of whom ultimately outperformed the other and was more of a steady factor on a game-in and game-out basis. That’s something that is not incredibly surprising since Schrader was the more highly touted back with higher expectations for him ahead of the season.

Schrader finished the year with 691 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, while Peat tallied 400 yards with 1 TD on 95 carries. Elijah Young played a small role with 19 carries for 93 yards, and Tavorus Jones had 7 carries for 25 yards.

Mizzou was 63rd nationally in total rushing offense by season’s end, averaging 158.7 yards per game. This will be a position of potential need worth looking into the transfer portal at some point, but there should be optimism for Schrader’s future, in particular.

Wide receiver/tight end: B

Wide receiver Dominic Lovett was one of the best players at his position throughout the season. But he didn’t receive enough credit at the national level because of how overshadowed he was by some of the play-calling issues that were primarily to blame for offensive collapses like the one in the 40-12 loss to Kansas State.

Lovett ranked 21st among the nation’s wideouts through the 1st 4 games, leading the SEC in receiving yards over that span. He ended the year with 56 catches for 846 yards, leading the Tigers in both categories. That was also good for 3rd in the league, behind only Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt and South Carolina’s Antwane Wells Jr.

Standout freshman Luther Burden was not always utilized to his full ability but showcased his versatility consistently as a pure receiver, on special teams and in the Wildcat formation. He ended the season with 37 catches for 325 yards and 5 touchdowns in 11 games, adding 95 yards and 3 TDs on the ground.

Offensive line: C

The offensive line was among the groups on that side of the ball that struggled to be consistent throughout the entirety of the season. As 1 of the most-penalized teams in the nation, some of that can be attributed to the O-line.

Opening up the ground game was 1 thing it did do well in several instances this season, though how well that aspect of the game would roll with the departure of Tyler Badie was 1 of the things that was in question.

This is still a young group though, with talent. The thing is, it’s going to take some time and that was evident as the youth showed during an up-and-down season.

Defensive line: A

The Tigers will miss defensive end Isaiah McGuire next year. As expected, he’s moving on to the NFL Draft after serving as 1 of Mizzou’s most integral pieces on this side of the ball. McGuire had 39 combined tackles (24 solo), 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

During an era when the transfer portal has paid dividends for several teams, Mizzou was able to take advantage of the likes of former Jacksonville State defensive end DJ Coleman, who was solid at the FCS level and proved to be a diamond in the rough. He finished the season with 37 total tackles (24 solo), 5.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Oregon transfer Kristian Williams also made a statement with 26 total tackles (20 solo), 2 sacks, 1 pass defended and 1 forced fumble.

Missouri finished with the 28th-ranked total defense, allowing an average of 337.1 yards per game.

Linebacker: A

This group rarely faltered throughout the season, as Mizzou averaged just under 10 missed tackles per game. Ty’Ron Hopper was the standout, finishing the season with 65 total tackles (54 solo), 3 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.

His biggest game of the season came in the win over Arkansas, when it mattered the most, as he piled up 11 total tackles and 9 solo.

Other players of note were Chad Bailey, who posted 48 total tackles (32 solo), 2 passes defended, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery, and Dameon Wilson, who had 16 tackles (10 solo) and 1 fumble recovery in just 7 games.

Defensive back: A

This is a group that definitely exceeded expectations in 2022 and was among the team’s most consistent. Cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw were among the biggest standouts, and both project as NFL prospects.

Abrams-Draine finished with 40 tackles and 13 pass deflections, leading the conference in that area. Rakestraw, who came off an ACL injury that caused him to miss the better part of the 2021 season, was key in takeaways as he recorded 35 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 12 pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Freshman Daylan Carnell also emerged with 26 tackles, 4 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions, 1 of which was a pick-6.

Specialists: C

No one who keeps up with Missouri football closely has forgotten about Harrison Mevis’ missed field goal in what ultimately became a 17-14 overtime loss to Auburn, when the Tigers played too conservatively.

It wasn’t the season anyone expected for Mevis, either, as he received conference recognition before the season after making 92% of his field-goal attempts in 2021. This season, he was 21 of 27 (77.8%) on field-goal attempts, including just 10 of 14 on short tries from less than 40 yards.

Considering how solid he’s been in the past, this season seemed like more of a fluke for Mevis than anything else.