The Oklahoma Sooners have been arguably the most consistent team in the country since they won their national championship in 2000. Though they haven’t been able to add that eighth national title, their run of success in the Big 12 conference and consecutive seasons with a winning record is unmatched throughout college football.
One of the reasons is the talent they’ve found through recruiting that they’ve developed for the next level.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Oklahoma Sooners rank ninth in draft picks since 2000. The Sooners will have a great chance to climb these rankings with 12 players declared for the 2022 NFL draft. It’s not likely that all of them will be selected in the seven-round draft, but it has a chance to match the 2019 class who had eight players selected.
Most NFL Draft picks since 2000:
1. Ohio State – 151
2. Alabama – 137
3. LSU – 133
4. Florida – 125
5. Georgia – 124
6. Miami – 123
7. USC – 117
8. Florida State – 113
9. Oklahoma – 106
10. Michigan – 101 pic.twitter.com/gSafFUkMxl— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) February 22, 2022
The Sooners have had 11 players selected in the first round, highlighted by first overall picks Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray. In addition to the quarterbacks, they’ve had another five players taken inside the top 10 of the draft since 2000.
Their best draft class was the 2010 class that saw Bradford go No. 1, Gerald McCoy was selected third overall, Trent Williams went fourth, and Jermaine Gresham was the 21st overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals. No other draft class has had more than two first-round picks since 2000.
The 2005 class had the most players selected with 11. That group was highlighted by Jammal Brown and Mark Clayton, who went in the first round.
The NFL combine is right around the corner, with pro day to follow, it’s still up in the air as to who will be the Sooners’ top pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Perrion Winfrey, Nik Bonitto, and Brian Asamoah have been the names considered in the second round in some of the latest mock drafts.
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