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Can Oklahoma Football Impact the NFL Draft Again?

by:Josh McCuistion•04/28/25•

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OU defense
Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman R Mason Thomas (32) hits Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Oklahoma won 24-3.

Talking to a Sooners recruit over the weekend and asking him what he knew of the Sooners and a surprising answer came forward.

‘I don’t know much…but what was surprising was Oklahoma having players on 75% of the NFL rosters’.

For years and years Oklahoma having a strong number of NFL draft picks was a foregone conclusion. From 2003-2023 just twice (2004, 2007) did Oklahoma football not produce four NFL draft picks. In fact the Sooners averaged nearly 5.5-draft picks per year in that lengthy stretch.

However, over the last two years the Sooners have had just five players selected total. But that being said, there seems to be hope for the 2025 draft. And while the goal isn’t NFL draft picks, it’s hard to ignore that the top four teams in this year’s NFL draft include the national champions and three other playoff programs.

The Oklahoma Football Players Ready to Turn the Tide

Deion Burks – WR – Senior

NFL Draft Stock: The Sooners receiver had a tough junior season but there’s no denying the potential is there. Beyond that the NFL has seen his time at Purdue so there’s already some ground work – he isn’t simply reliant on a big senior year. But if he’s healthy and is Oklahoma’s No. 1, as most expect, it seems he’s ripe to end up in the NFL draft in 2026.

Gracen Halton – DT – Senior

NFL Draft Stock: This one will surprise some but it really shouldn’t. Halton had a top 10 pass rush number, according to PFF, among returning players in 2025. The Sooners have some talent and depth at the position but he has the feeling of a guy that the NFL may find a way to really unlock. There’s potential he could go higher than some might expect.

Jaydn Ott – RB – Senior

NFL Draft Stock: It’s still wild to have Ott on this list of Oklahoma football players but that’s where we are for the talented back. Ott probably should have been in the 2025 draft but with his injuries as a junior, it caused a return for his senior year. With his size and speed he could be Oklahoma’s highest NFL draft pick if things went very well in 2025.

Robert Spears-Jennings – S – Senior

NFL Draft Stock: There was a point in time last year that Spears-Jennings had people wondering if he would even be back for 2025. But as time went on his production slowed a little bit. The Sooners, according to Brent Venables himself, are expecting big things and feel he could have a very solid NFL career.

R Mason Thomas – DE – Senior

NFL Draft Stock: This is the surest thing on Oklahoma’s roster. Barring a return, only possible via injury, Thomas will be in the NFL draft this time next year. Thomas has long been talked about as a guy that was ready to breakout for the Sooners. And in 2024 that moment finally happened when he was tied for fifth in the SEC in sacks. This year more will be looking for him and his stock might climb considerably.

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