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Former Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook had much bigger hopes for this weekend.
He wanted to hear his name called at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, because of course he did. But that didn’t happen for the signal-caller who helped elevate Tigers football under head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
Cook was still a known quantity in NFL circles, and he quickly got scooped up by the New York Jets, who signed Cook to an undrafted free agent deal. That was reported on Saturday night by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Cook threw for 2,535 yards in 2024 to close his long career in Columbia after throwing for 3,317 yards in 2023 and 2,739 yards in 2022.
Meanwhile, another former Mizzou star who wasn’t drafted settled for the same consolation prize on Saturday night. Edge rusher Johnny Walker Jr. is signing with the Denver Broncos, according to the Denver Post’s Luca Evans.
Walker piled up 43 tackles last fall for the Tigers to go with 9.5 sacks, and he could be just what the Broncos need to boost their pass rush in 2025.
Both Cook and Walker will now be driven to prove that maybe they should’ve been drafted this weekend.
RELATED: Sports betting is expected to launch in the state of Missouri in time for the 2025 NFL season. Keep our guide on the best Missouri betting promos handy so you can get the most from the state launch.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
