While the NFL draft won’t come until April 28th, that hasn’t stopped the Draft Wire from popping out mock drafts to water the yearlong football fan’s appetite. There’s just one more NFL game to be played, and it’s the biggest one of the year; the Super Bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams will cap off another NFL season, and both teams feature Sooners that they drafted.
While those teams duke it out, the other 30 teams will be chipping away with film studies, interviews, and putting their draft board as they look to land their next wave of contributors. With Senior Bowl week wrapped up a few days ago, our friends at Draft Wire posted a new three-round mock that features three Oklahoma defenders in the top 100.
53. Perrion Winfrey – Las Vegas Raiders
At pick 53 comes the Senior Bowl MVP, Perrion Winfrey. The violent and disruptive defensive tackle undoubtedly made himself quite a bit of money at the Senior Bowl, dominating practice after practice. He followed that up by dominating the game with five tackles, three for loss, and two sacks to earn the MVP honor.
In the second round of the mock draft, Winfrey was sent to the Las Vegas Raiders, pairing with Utah star LB Devin Lloyd who was their pick in the first round.
The Raiders need a lot of defensive talent infused into a defense that will now be led by Patrick Graham, former DC of the New York Giants. Winfrey could compete for starting snaps immediately.
75. Nik Bonitto – Denver Broncos
The second Sooner off the board was another defender along the defensive line, and that man is Nik Bonitto. Bonitto lands in Denver at pick 75 and would look to be the Broncos’ first option to replace some of the pass-rushing ability lost with Von Miller’s trade to LA as the Broncos began to rebuild their defense.
Bonitto is considered a tweener in NFL circles, meaning he isn’t big enough to be a traditional defensive end in the NFL, but he’s not quite fluid enough to be an off-the-ball linebacker either. One thing is for sure, and watchers of Oklahoma Football will agree: Bonitto is a monster off the edge, and his production as a full-time starter doesn’t give OU fans much hesitation about his ability to rush the passer at the professional level. His athleticism and the first step may make up the difference in strength and size.
96. Brian Asamoah – Denver Broncos
The last Sooner featured in this three-round mock also lands in Denver to play behind his long-time brother in Nik Bonitto. Brian Asamoah went to the Broncos as they continued their defensive rebuild.
There’s no mistaking what Asamoah is. He’s a heat-seeking missile, sideline to sideline looking to make plays.
At the Senior Bowl, Asamoah continued to raise his stock after ending the 2021 season with excellent momentum. He made quite the impression at the Senior Bowl last week, earning top LB honors from the National team in a vote from the offensive line, tight end, and running back groups in practice player-of-the-week awards in Mobile. This is the first time Asamoah was taken in a Draft Wire three-round mock draft.
Oklahoma’s Brian Asamoah was named top LB on the National team in a vote from OL, TE, and RB groups at practice player-of-the-week awards ceremony today at 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. #TheDraftStartsInMobile pic.twitter.com/9Of9nKwrNP
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 4, 2022
Asamoah could see his star rise even higher as he still has the combine and pro day to impress anyone willing to take a peek at him. Pairing him with Bonitto gives the Denver defense an athletic edge rusher and a steady, violent linebacker who can run the defense and run sideline to sideline to make plays.
There’s still a long way to go, but with the way things are trending, there’s a real chance the Sooners have three defensive players selected in the top 100 picks for the first time since 2004 when Tommie Harris, Teddy Lehman, and Derrick Strait all went within the first 80 selections.
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