The Oklahoma Sooners under head coach Lincoln Riley has become ‘QBU’ in a short timeframe. During his four years as the head coach, he has produced two No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft and another as a second-rounder. All three quarterbacks are projected to be opening weekend starters in the NFL. Not to mention, his current starting quarterback, Spencer Rattler has already been mocked No. 1 overall.
With the NFL draft now firmly behind us, NBC Sports put out their projected starting quarterbacks around the NFL. Sooners Wire breaks down the quarterbacks by school with Oklahoma leading the way.
- Oklahoma (3)
- North Dakota State (2)
- Clemson (2)
- California (2)
California was the only school with multiple starters in the NFL (Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers) outside of the Sooners prior to the 2021 draft. Following the three-day event, Clemson and North Dakota State joined the party. Clemson now has Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, while North Dakota State has Carson Wentz and Trey Lance.
A look at what NBC Sports says about the Oklahoma trio projected to start for their perspective teams:
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland finished the season 11-5 and it looks like Mayfield has turned the corner.
In Week 13 against Tennessee, Mayfield played excellent and if he can play like that more often, then he is the long-term answer. He showed further he may be the real deal in a Monday Night thriller against Baltimore and then winning a playoff game at Pittsburgh.
Kevin Stefanski was the best thing to ever happen to Mayfield’s NFL career.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona nearly made the postseason two seasons after selecting Murray first overall during the 2019 NFL Draft. Beyond minor durability concerns, there’s no reason he should not be starting for the Cardinals next season.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
With the Eagles trading Wentz to Indianapolis, it means the starting quarterback job in Philly would be Jalen Hurts’ to lose. He played well enough at the end of his rookie season. Hurts should be the starter in 2021.