Ranking the top 10 NFL Draft prospects in the Big 12

Big 12 football is less than a month away and NFL teams are preparing to ramp up scouting for the 2022 NFL Draft. Pro Football Focus ranked the top potential pros in the conference ahead of the 2021 season. The Big 12’s list of NFL prospects is headlined by four Oklahoma players and a pair of teammates from Iowa State and TCU.

Here is a look at the top 2022 NFL Draft prospects in the Big 12:

10. Isaiah Thomas, EDGE (Oklahoma)

Thomas is a 6-foot-5 redshirt senior with 42 career tackles at Oklahoma. He is a versatile option on the defensive line, playing more than half his snaps inside the tackles last season. His 85.6 pass-rushing grade and 79.0 run-defense grades make him one of the most reliable defenders in the Big 12.

9. Perrion Winfrey, DL (Oklahoma)

Winfrey is a senior who came to Oklahoma from a junior college in 2020. His 75.9 run-defense grade and 68.8 pass-rushing grade in year one make him an interesting player to watch this season.

8. Brock Purdy, QB (Iowa State)

Purdy started his career as a prolific downfield passer in 2018. Since then, he has lost key targets at wide receiver and has not made the same volume of downfield throws. Still, he is a game-changer who has helped bring Iowa State into the College Football Playoff conversation.

7. Tre Sterling, S (Oklahoma State)

Sterling is a 5-foot-11 redshirt senior at Oklahoma State. He regularly lines up near the line of scrimmage and leads one of the top tackling defensive backs in the country. Sterling projects to have a lot of versatility in nickel and dime packages as he combines strength with speed.

6. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB (TCU)

Hodges-Tomlinson is a 5-foot-9 junior whose biggest challenge will be overcoming the NFL perception of height. Despite that, his numbers are impressive. Hodges-Tomlinson gave up just 16 catches on 49 targets in 2020 with 14 pass breakups.

5. DeMarvion Overshown, LB (Texas)

Overshown is a 6-foot-4 217-pound linebacker at Texas. PFF describes him as a “work in progress” as an undersized member of the front seven. His numbers against the pass were impressive in 2020 but he missed 20 tackles in 83 attempts against the run.

4. Breece Hall, RB (Iowa State)

Hall ranks No. 1 among college running backs in 2021, according to PFF. He had 25 carries of 15-plus yards in 2020 and has 120 broken tackles over 464 career attempts. Hall finished No. 6 in the Heisman voting last season.

3. Noah Daniels, CB (TCU)

Daniels does not have much film over the past two seasons. He missed all of 2019 with a shoulder injury and tore his ACL four games into the 2020 season. However, Daniels has impressed during his time on the field. He has allowed just 12 catches in his career for 162 yards with eight pass breakups.

2. Nik Bonitto, EDGE (Oklahoma)

Bonitto is a 6-foot-3 240-pound redshirt junior at Oklahoma. He finished 2020 with 49 pressures on just 186 opportunities.  PFF notes that NFL teams will likely want to see Bonitto add at least 10 pounds before putting him in the first-round conversation.

1. Spencer Rattler, QB (Oklahoma)

Rattler enters the season as the No. 1 overall player on PFF’s preseason draft board. In 2020, he threw 27.4% of his passes from outside the pocket. He uses his legs well to create opportunities in the air, evading the pass rush to keep plays alive.

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