For more than two decades, tight ends at Missouri and in what is know the Big 12 have been measured against former Mizzou great and NFL Hall of Famer Kellen B. Winslow.

With a stellar career in which he started all 50 games and set school records -- including the overall reception record -- and new marks for Big 12 tight ends, Martin Rucker became the standard-bearer at this position.

Nebraska's loss was Missouri's gain, as the little brother of former Huskers and present Carolina Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker, decided that he would enroll at the rival school rather than reside in Lincoln, Nebraska. Very close to his oldest brother, Martin Rucker was often found at the Panthers' training facility or their games when not involved with the Missouri football program. That bond helped soothe the youngster after he withdrew his name from consideration for the 2007 NFL Draft as an underclassman.

The NFL advisory board had informed Martin Rucker last year that he was regarded as only a fifth-round prospect. With that information, Martin Rucker wisely chose the course of returning to school for his final season. "I'm glad that I looked into this, it was a good experience to go through, and the feedback I got was really positive," said Rucker. "I'm very excited about the chance to eventually play in the NFL, but I believe that playing one more year at Mizzou will be the best for me. We have some business to take care of next year, and I want to be a part of what I believe can be a special season."

Missouri has been blessed with a wealth of talent at the tight end position the last three years. Even though Rucker was the starter, Chase Coffman was often utilized in two-tight end formations, giving the Tigers the best tandem in football at that position.

Andy Hill, the Missouri assistant who was the lead recruiter of both tight ends, contends the common perception of the two stars isn't totally correct. Rucker is looked at, generally, as the more powerful of the two players, Coffman more as a speedy wide receiver-type. But Rucker's 40 time is 4.63 seconds compared with Coffman's 4.8. "Chase, he's a quicker person in separation than he is fast running," said Hill, Missouri's wide receivers coach. "He catches the ball away from his body, too, so he can catch even if he's covered pretty well. Rucker is more of a smoother, athletic guy. Rucker, the first time I saw him in high school he was running track; a triple-jumper, a sprinter."

At Benton High School, Rucker was a standout tight end and defensive end. He earned first-team All-State honors as a tight end and first-team All-District and All-Conference accolades at both tight end and defensive end. He was ranked 28th among the nation's tight end prospects by Rivals.com, and as the 12th-best prospect of any position in the state of Missouri by the same outlet.

A Super Prep All-Midlands and 51st-rated player, Rucker had 23 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns while recording 64 tackles and seven quarterback sacks on the defensive side of the ball in his final campaign. As a junior, he caught 25 passes for 340 yards and three scores, adding 54 tackles on the defensive side of the ball. He also had eight catches for 99 yards as a sophomore in 2000.

An excellent all-around athlete, Rucker added All-District and All-Conference honors in basketball. He also excelled in track, placing 12th in the state in the triple-jump. He won conference and district titles in the triple-jump, as well as a conference championship in the long jump.

Choosing Missouri over Nebraska as his college was an easy decision. It kept him close to his family in Jefferson City, where his father, Martin, is a member of the House of Representatives in the state of Missouri. He spent the 2003 season on the Tigers scout team and was limited in 2004 preseason practices due to a right labrum tear that eventually required surgery in March of his redshirt campaign.

He would start all 11 games for Missouri in 2004, ranking sixth on the team with 19 receptions for 263 yards (13.8-yard average) and four touchdowns. He also recorded four tackles (two solo) and recovered a fumble on special teams. For that performance, he earned Freshman All-American second-team and Freshman All-Big Twelve Conference first-team recognition.

In 2005, Rucker was named first-team All-Big 12 and selected the team's Receiver of the Year. He led the team and all conference tight ends with 47 receptions for 567 yards (12.1-yard average) and a touchdown, the second-best season total ever by a Tigers tight end. He also continued to play on special teams, coming up with four tackles (three solo).

As a junior, Rucker was named the Metro Kansas City Player of the Year, adding first-team All-Big Twelve Conference honors. He ranked second on the team and finished ninth among the nation's tight ends with 53 catches for 511 yards (9.6-yard average) and scored five times. His total yardage after his first three seasons at Missouri totaled 1,341 yards, becoming only the fourth tight end in school history to gain over 1,000 yards receiving in a career.

A consensus first-team All-American and unanimous All-Big 12 Conference choice, Rucker was also a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. He set a school record and shattered the conference tight end record with 84 receptions for 834 yards (9.9-yard average) and eight touchdowns. He led the nation's tight ends with an average of six receptions per game and gained 50 yards on 14 carries (3.6 avg). He also recovered two fumbles and made an assisted tackle.

In 50 games at Missouri, all starts, Rucker set the school record and finished eighth in Big Twelve Conference history with 203 receptions. He ranks second in Missouri annals with 2,175 yards receiving (10.7-yard average) and is 11th on the school's all-time list with 11 touchdown grabs. He gained 56 yards on 16 carries (3.5-yard average), recorded nine tackles (seven solo) and recovered three fumbles.

Positives: Has a good-sized frame that can carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without having it impact his overall quickness … Has just adequate upper-body mass, but shows a good bubble and thick thighs and calves, along with long arms and large, soft, natural hands … Has a good feel for locating the soft areas in the second level, doing a nice job of sitting down or coming back for the ball … Needs to show better consistency in this area, but has very good speed for his position (needs to play with better urgency getting off the snap) … Even with his adequate change-of-direction agility, he moves well in space and gets to his top acceleration once he clears the line … Competes better in the passing game than when asked to block and has the valid feet and running stride to be lined up wide … Knows where the boundaries are and is quick to gobble up the cushion when the defenders fail to press him at the line … Keeps his feet and shows good balance out of his breaks, but does so with some hip stiffness … Has a better burst on short routes than when going vertical, but his foot quickness at the top of the route lets him set defenders up in attempts to separate … Savvy route runner who might lack explosion off the snap, but builds to top speed, especially when running shallow crossing routes, as he sticks and stems well when lining up in the slot to get to the short throws … Will take some soft-angle cuts, but has the feet to gather, using head fakes and angles to elude … Might not be as effective separating in the open, but vs. second-level defenders, he gets decent break out of his cuts and knows how to set up the opponent … Uses his body well underneath, especially on whip routes, and does a nice job of posting up and using his body to shield the defender from the ball (that allows him to compensate for marginal arm extension going for the ball in tight areas) … Drops his weight and uses his body effectively to box out in the short area … Needs to adjust for the tough catch outside his framework better, but has good hand-eye coordination to catch the ball smoothly … Needs more strength to compete for the ball in a crowd, but can jump and take the ball away from defenders at the high point … Can stretch the field effectively when lined up in the slot and is very good at getting to the high tosses, though stiff hips cause some problems when having to go low for the underthrown stuff) … Has the ability to catch in the radius and while not a big threat to generate yards after the catch, he has the speed to challenge defenders without showing power to break tackles … Showed marked improvement as a senior using his swim moves to avoid the jams by the "nine" technique … When he attacks the deep secondary, he has the ability to stretch the defense and pull the safety out of coverage … Not really a shake-and-bake type, but has the knee bend and drop in his cuts to run corner routes and drags … Shows good elevation on jump balls, using his long arms to "play bigger" than his size indicates.

Negatives: Still needs to mature off the field and show better dedication to training and the weight room … Fun-loving type, a bit spoiled, but is all business on the football field … Needs to dedicate the hours needed to improve his overall strength … Appears to be a bit stiff when trying to redirect, lacking loose hips, but compensates with good body control, especially when moving in space … Is a liability as a blocker, lacking the power and most importantly, the desire to face up to the more physical defenders … Has good timed speed, but lacks the explosive initial step to surprise a lethargic defender … Can be a bit late off the line of scrimmage and seems to lack the vertical skills to separate … On his shorter routes, he often lets the ball into his body, but he appears natural getting to the quarterback's quick slant … Lacks the fluid moves to adjust to the ball in flight and will struggle some to get to passes thrown behind him … After the catch, he does not have the elusive moves to escape and with his adequate power base, he won't break many tackles (goes down easier than expected vs. a bigger defender) … Gets too lackadaisical in his approach when taking on linebackers blocking in the second level -- takes good angles, but the urgency is not there … Smart, instinctive player who takes plays from the chalkboard to the playing field, but is a marginal student due to a lack of desire, not learning problems … Better prospect in a system that moves him around a lot, as he lacks the strength to be a physical tight end, especially when asked to block in pass protection or the ground game and is a better fit as an H-Back than a classic "Y" receiver … Needs to post up with his body better on deep routes … Will sometimes lose concentration and pull his head away from the ball, causing drops, but steadily improved in the area as a senior (caught 84 of 102 possible catchable throws in 2007).

Compares To: TONY SCHEFFLER-Denver … Neither will ever be known for blocking skills, but both have rare speed for the position and are valid deep threats, especially when playing in motion. Rucker lacks the strength or desire to be an efficient blocker, the most glaring negative in his resume, but he is good at using his foot speed to clear the line and separate from second-level defenders. He is still a bit immature in his training regimen and needs to show better dedication to improving his weaknesses, as he is the type that will need to be monitored. He has that wide receiver's psyche, which is good if you are in a vertical passing attack. However, until he shows better dedication in the weight room and more urgency to block, he can't be considered anything more than a quality receiver who is better off as an H-back or playing in motion, not a classic tight end.

2000: Underwent surgery in November after suffering a left leg fracture in high school.

2004: Limited in 2004 spring drills after the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right labrum in late March.

Campus: 4.63 in the 40-yard dash … 353-pound bench press … Bench pressed 225 pounds 16 times … 535-pound squat … 324-pound hang clean … 34-inch vertical jump … 8'11" broad jump … 23 pull-ups … 33 3/4-inch arm length … 9 5/8-inch hands … Right-handed … 23/28 Wonderlic score.

Attended Benton (St. Joseph, Mo.) High School, playing football for head coach Pat Byrne … Standout at both tight end and defensive end … Earned first-team All-State honors as a tight end and first-team All-district and All-Conference accolades at both tight end and defensive end … Ranked 28th among the nation's tight end prospects by Rivals.com, and as the 12th-best prospect of any position in the state of Missouri by the same outlet … A Super Prep All-Midlands and 51st-rated player … Had 23 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns while recording 64 tackles and seven quarterback sacks on the defensive side of the ball in his final campaign … As a junior, he caught 25 passes for 340 yards and three scores, adding 54 tackles on the defensive side of the ball … Also had eight catches for 99 yards as a sophomore in 2000 … Added All-District and All-Conference honors in basketball … Excelled in track, placing 12th in the state in the triple jump … Won conference and district titles in the triple jump, as well as a conference championship in the long jump.

Hotel and Restaurant Management major … Older brother, Mike, was an All-American defensive end at Nebraska (1995-98) and just finished his ninth season as a starter on the Carolina Panthers' defensive line … Son of LaVell and Martin Rucker … Father is member of the House of Representatives in the state of Missouri … Born 5/04/85 … Resides in St. Joseph, Missouri.