Missouri football defensive end Zion Young is officially heading to the NFL after the Ravens used the No. 45 overall pick to bring him to Baltimore in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday, April 24, in Pittsburgh.
Young is the first Mizzou player to come off the board in this year’s draft. The Tigers missed out on having a first-round draft pick for a third straight year, which would have tied a program record. Young had some pre-draft first-round buzz.
The defensive end is the seventh Missouri player to be drafted in the opening three rounds of the draft since head coach Eli Drinkwitz took over in Columbia in 2020. The Tigers have had an edge rusher drafted in three of the last four years.
Young has been a fan- and team-favorite at Mizzou for the past two years. He’s a self-proclaimed loud locker room presence and emerged as an ultra-physical pass-rusher for the Tigers in his senior season.
Now, he’s taking his talents to Baltimore as a second-round pick.
Here is what you need to know about former Missouri defensive end and Ravens draft pick Zion Young:
Young spent the past two seasons with Missouri, transferring to the Tigers after two years at Michigan State. He's a violent pass rusher that has been tough to contain during his time in Columbia.
He played 26 games in Columbia, locking down a starting role at MU’s field end position. Young led Mizzou with 57 quarterback pressures in 326 pass rushing snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus. That also was the second-most in the SEC.
Young had 6.5 sacks as part of 16.5 total tackles for loss last season. He forced a team-high two fumbles, batted two passes and had 42 total tackles in the 2025 season.
The lasting memories of Young in a Mizzou uniform will be his scoop-and-score touchdown in 2024 to beat Oklahoma and, one year later, perhaps the best coin toss meeting of all time right before he made a series of pivotal plays to help Mizzou beat Auburn on the road in overtime.
Check it out: #Mizzou defensive end Zion Young (@ZionReese3) scoops and scores the GAME WINNER in the renewed rivalry against Oklahoma ⤵️ Gritty win by the Tigers at Faurot Field tonight pic.twitter.com/i0cY3Bc870
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) November 10, 2024
Young is the guy you can hear yelling over the official’s microphone.
Zion Young in a 23-17 double OT win @ Auburn : 5 tackles, 2.5 for loss & 2 sacks (3 sacks on the season coming into last night's game) pic.twitter.com/fTQZcZOpq5
And, for good measure, some more great Zion Young tape.
He's a violent player off the edge who flat-out seems to enjoy contact. That's what made him one of the most-impactful defensive ends in the Southeastern Conference last season. There weren't many players who put quarterbacks under more pressure than Young.
There has been a lot of talk about scheme fit for Dennis Allen edges. Yes, he has size and length thresholds (~6'4 ~260 33"+ arms)But he also want's guys that play with violence, heavy hands, and effort and that is why he'll fall in love with Missouri's Zion Young #Bears pic.twitter.com/FvdQmYO2YQ
Missouri football defensive end Zion Young was arrested in December on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, speeding, and a failure to properly affix a license plate to his vehicle, per Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest records.
Young measured in at 6 foot 5¾ and 262 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
More: Meet Zion Young, Missouri football’s ‘relentless’ scoop-and-score Oklahoma hero