Five lesser-hyped Big 12 players with strong NFL draft grades

Not surprisingly, the early 2023 NFL mock drafts have been full of players such as Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.

But there are plenty of other top prospects who aren’t getting much, if any, love in those early mock drafts and top prospect lists. To help get you up to speed, On3 will go conference-by-conference and identify some lesser-hyped draft prospects who currently have early-round grades from NFL scouts.

Thursday, we detailed six such players from the SEC. Today, we look at five from the Big 12; the players are listed alphabetically.

TCU senior C Steve Avila

The buzz: After starting at three positions in 2020 (center, right tackle and right guard), Steve Avila played strictly center last season and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. At least some NFL scouts view Avila (6 feet 4 and 340 pounds) as a Day 2 prospect for the 2023 draft.

Texas senior RB Roschon Johnson

The buzz: Bijan Robinson isn’t Texas’ only draft prospect at running back. Roschon Johnson, who rushed for 569 yards and five touchdowns last season, is another. While some scouts view Johnson as more of a middle-round prospect, others in the NFL scouting world think he could end up as a Day 2 pick. One of the scouting services used by NFL teams has Johnson (6-1, 220) with a second-round grade and has him rated as the third-best draft prospect among senior running backs, behind Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh and UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet.

Oklahoma junior G Andrew Raym

The buzz: Oklahoma has a junior tackle very much on the NFL radar in Anton Harrison and Andrew Raym is on the radar for scouts as well. Last season, his first as a starter, Raym started all 13 games at right guard and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection. Raym, listed at 6-4 and 307 pounds, was an On3 Consensus national top-110 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.

Oklahoma State senior QB Spencer Sanders

The buzz: Until 2012, no Oklahoma State quarterback had gone in the first three rounds of the NFL draft (Brandon Weeden was a first-rounder that year). Now, the Cowboys could have their third such pick in the past 11 years. Spencer Sanders (6-1, 219) is entering his fourth season as Oklahoma State’s starter and joined Weeden last season as the only first-team All-Big 12 quarterbacks in school history. One of the NFL scouting services has Sanders, who led the Big 12 in total offense last season (268.8 yards per game), with a Day 2 draft grade.

Texas Tech senior OLB Tyree Wilson

The buzz: Tyree Wilson, a former Texas A&M transfer, should be one of the top defensive players in the Big 12. After modest numbers in his first season at Texas Tech in 2020 (11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games), Wilson broke out last season with 38 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Both scouting services have Wilson (6-6, 270) with first-round grades. One of the NFL scouting services has Wilson with its top overall grade among senior players. There are others in the NFL scouting world, though, who view Wilson as more of a Day 2 or even middle-round prospect.