The NFL draft is less than a month away. For two Oklahoma Sooners, things are becoming more apparent by the day. Left tackle Anton Harrison and wide receiver Marvin Mims have solidified themselves as top 100 players in this draft class.
They excelled at the NFL Combine and have received rave reviews about their interviews. Mims put on a route running show to assuage fears about his ability to run an NFL route tree.
Our friends at DraftWire posted a three-round mock draft post-free agency to give insight into where they think prospects land now that teams spent free agency addressing their most significant needs.
For Anton Harrison, he continues to be mocked to an offensive line-needy team. He goes to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 28.
In 2023 mock drafts, Harrison has been going mostly in the ’20s . Depending on how the offensive tackles go in the draft, he could go in the late teens to the top of the second round.
He’s an excellent pass protector, so it’s no wonder a team with one of the NFL’s best passing offenses, led by a top-five quarterback, would want to invest in his blindside protector.
The Bengals gave up 44 sacks in 2022, which tied for 20th in the NFL. They also ranked 30th in pass block win rate. La’el Collins is coming off an injury, and Jonah Williams is too. They spent big in free agency to add former Sooner Orlando Brown Jr.
If you plan to pay Joe Burrow over 250 million dollars in a new contract soon, you should invest in pass protection. Harrison is one of the best in this class at pass protection and showed an improvement in moving bodies in the running game. He seems like a home-run pick for the Bengals there.
A bit further down the board, we find Mr. Marvin Mims. He’s a dynamic playmaker that earned his stripes with big play after big play in Norman.
It’s unlikely that Mims would go in the first round like CeeDee Lamb. However, Mims is tailor-made to be a meaningful contributor to an anemic offense in search of juice.
For that reason, Draft Wire’s landing spot with Chicago is perfect. Mims can quickly come in and provide an explosive vertical threat to help diversify the Bears’ passing attack. He’d be a huge help to Justin Fields. who’s still developing as an NFL passer. Mims is a quarterback-friendly target because his speed allows him to separate from defenders. He also has the ability to make tough contested catches.
These former Sooners look well-positioned to hear their names called on Thursday or Friday of the NFL draft. And if this Draft Wire mock draft is any indication, they’ll be headed to places with a clear need for the skills they excel at the most.
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