Sometimes, football bloodlines can lead to success for a son. Peyton and Eli Manning, Anthony Dorsett, Chris Long and Marion Barber III are sons of NFL players that have performed or are performing at a high level in the NFL.

Of course, then you have Bobby Carpenter and Todd Marinovich, so it isn’t always a lock to work.

Mizzou is close to getting a commitment from the son another NFL great. If Derrion Thomas, son of the late Derrick Thomas, is anything close to Dad, then the Tigers have something. Derrick Thomas died as the result of an auto accident on his way to the Rams-Buccaneers 1999 NFC Championship game. If son isn’t a great player, at least he gets an education and Gary Pinkel and his staff continue to get the players they want out of Missouri’s biggest metro areas. There’s nothing wrong with that.