COLUMBIA, Mo. - After Gary Pinkel’s first season at Mizzou, his mentor gave him a piece of advice that would soon define the program’s trajectory.
“Get more guys drafted and you’ll start winning more games,” Don James told his apprentice over a round of golf.
By no coincidence, Pinkel started to win more games once his rosters were full of more players who’d play on Sundays.
Now, as the Tigers prepare for their ninth season in the Southeastern Conference — two coaching changes later — the program’s relative lack of NFL presence is noticeable again.
By the SEC’s count, 355 players from SEC programs survived NFL cuts this weekend and earned a spot on the league’s 53-man rosters.