Tag: Anton Harrison

Anton Harrison ranked as one of the 10 best offensive tackles by Mel Kiper

Anton Harrison one of Mel Kiper’s Top 10 offensive tackles ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.

With bowl season and the College Football Playoff, NFL draft prospects still have games to play, but that doesn’t stop draftniks such as Mel Kiper of ESPN from getting started.

Kiper has been at it a long time, evaluating and scouting talent and offering analysis and information about draft prospects. Though we have months to go before the NFL draft, Kiper has already produced a set of prospect rankings for every position (ESPN+).

Only one Oklahoma Sooner found his onto Kiper’s positional top 10: Anton Harrison. Harrison started at left tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners the last two seasons.

Harrison checked in at No. 9 on Kiper’s offensive tackle list. Peter Skoronski of Northwestern and Paris Johnson, Jr. of Ohio State have been the two guys atop this tackle class since before the season started and look to close the season still battling for the top two spots.

With those two projected as top 20 picks, it offers some level of insight as to what round Harrison might land. Assuming three tackles go in the first round and three or four go in the second round, it’s not impossible for Harrison to go in the third round if Kiper’s rankings play out. That feels like his floor. How he interviews, performs at the combine, in individual workouts for teams and at Oklahoma’s pro day will give Harrison ample opportunity to move in those rankings.

Harrison, an All-Big 12 performer, thrived in pass protection, where his excellent movement skills and athleticism shined. Criticism of his play strength was loud this summer. He spent the offseason getting stronger with Jerry Schmidt, which showed in 2022. Harrison’s play was critical in helping Eric Gray produce a career-year on the ground.

There have been mock drafts from The Draft Wire that have Harrison going in the first round. Playing a premium position will help Harrison rise throughout the draft process.

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Defensive tackle Josh Ellison opts to hit transfer portal

Oklahoma’s roster reconstruction sees defensive tackle Josh Ellison depart for the transfer portal. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s growing list of transfers continues to get longer as defensive tackle Josh Ellison entered his name into the portal on Wednesday afternoon.

Ellison becomes the 13th Sooner to enter the portal. He’s the third interior defensive lineman to exit, following Alton Tarber and Cedric Roberts. Ellison, will have one year remaining wherever he lands.

Ellison joined the Sooners after spending time at Blinn College, one of the more prominent JUCO’s in the country. He was a part of Oklahoma’s 2020 recruiting class which also included Marvin Mims, Anton Harrison, and Andrew Raym.

Ellison was never a consistent starter and was more of a rotation piece during Alex Grinch’s “Speed D” days. He stuck around for the Brent Venables era and was again primarily a rotational guy.

His departure leaves Oklahoma desperate to find players via the transfer portal. They’ve now lost five defensive linemen between the transfer portal and guys like Jalen Redmond and Jeffery Johnson, who are headed off to the NFL.

As it stands right now, Notre Dame transfer Jacob Lacey is the only arrival from the transfer portal along the defensive line for the Sooners. Look for that number to grow in the coming weeks.

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5 positions the Oklahoma Sooners should target in the transfer portal

The Oklahoma Sooners have some roster reconfiguration to accomplish and will look at the transfer portal to complete it. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s season is down to one last game against the Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Florida. However, their preparation for Team 129 has already begun.

Numerous players have already entered the transfer portal or declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

Players like left tackle [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], running back [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], and right tackle [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] were starters on this year’s squad and have already declared their intention to go to the NFL. Oklahoma will have to fill those voids for next season. Their replacements may be on the team already, but there’s a real possibility they aren’t.

The losses have left a hefty amount of bodies missing from the program right now, and while the recruiting class will fill some of them, the Sooners would love to have immediate answers via the transfer portal by guys with collegiate experience.

As Oklahoma looks to retool its roster for 2023, here are a few positions they should look to add talent to via the transfer portal. 

Sooners offensive tackle Wanya Morris opts out of bowl game, declares for 2023 NFL Draft

Opting out of Oklahoma’s bowl game, Wanya Morris declares for the NFL draft. From @john9williams

After receiving a senior bowl invite, it seemed like this was inevitably the next step as Wanya Morris has opted out of Oklahoma’s bowl game to begin preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft.

After transferring from Tennessee in the 2021 offseason, Morris was mostly a rotational player before stepping into a starting role this season with the Sooners. Though injuries limited him to just nine games, he started eight games for Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line and played 580 snaps at right tackle.

Morris is the second player to opt out of the bowl game, following fellow offensive tackle Anton Harrison to the next level.

At 6-foot-6 305 pounds, Morris projects as an offensive tackle at the next level with a swing tackle floor. Attending the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. will allow him to showcase his skills against the nations best seniors in front of every NFL team.

With Morris and Harrison out of Oklahoma’s bowl game, look for Tyler Guyton to get the start at one of the tackle spots and Aaryn Parks along with true freshmen Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton to compete for the start at the other tackle spot. Whichever direction the Sooners go will provide valuable snaps for the guys who will be competing for a starting spot in 2023.

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5 Sooners named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 first-team

Led by Eric Gray, five Oklahoma Sooners were selected to Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 first team.

Despite a down year from the Oklahoma Sooners, several players had standout performances and were awarded selection to the All-Big 12 teams for 2022. Three players were named to the first team and three more to the second team.

Pro Football Focus released their regular season awards for the Big 12, and there were quite a few names that received first, second and third-team honors. Oklahoma tied with TCU for the second-most selections to the PFF All-Big 12 first team with five. Texas led the way with six players selected.

Here’s a look at the Sooners who were selected and how they ranked relative to their position group according to Pro Football Focus.

Top OTs in 2023 NFL Draft as Browns look to replace Jack Conklin this offseason

Jack Conklin is set to be a free agent. Could the Browns find his replacement in the 2023 NFL Draft?

The Cleveland Browns may have to replace right tackle Jack Conklin as he is set to be a free agent this summer. Considering he almost retired a year ago, it is safe to say he will not be back in Cleveland in 2023 after restructuring his deal. As James Hudson has looked like a massive liability in the past few weeks, could the Browns turn to the 2023 NFL Draft to replace Conklin?

We have already tackled a series of draft-eligible defensive tackles, so now we move to another need in Cleveland. The Browns will not come on the clock until around the 40th pick in the draft, but could still fill plenty of needs with their plethora of assets.

With Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu (potentially the best in the class) heading back to school, who are the top offensive tackles in this year’s draft class? We take a look here.

One note before diving in: Tennessee’s Darnell Wright is a talented player, but one whose skillset translates better as a guard at the next level.

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3 Oklahoma Sooners earn first-team and second-team All-Big 12 honors

The Oklahoma Sooners had three first-team and three second-team selections, as well as the Offensive Newcomer of the year in 2022.

After having zero preseason first-team selections, the Oklahoma Sooners earned three first-team honors on the All-Big 12 teams at the conclusion of the regular season. The Sooners also had three second-team selections and a host of honorable mentions.

Though it was a down year by Oklahoma standards, there were several notable performances in 2022 that were worthy of all-conference selection.

Here’s a look at every Sooner honored by the Big 12 with postseason awards.

Pair of former Sooners included on ESPN’s top 25 players under 25 in the NFL

A pair of former Sooners are having fantastic seasons in the NFL in 2022 and were named to ESPN’s top 25 under 25 list. From @john9williams

The NFL is filled with Sooners who are making quite a name for themselves. From offensive linemen Trent Williams and Lane Johnson to tight end Mark Andrews, Oklahoma is well-represented among some of the best teams in football in 2022.

ESPN took a look at the top 25 NFL players under 25 (ESPN+), and a pair of former Sooners greats were included on the list.

Coming in at No. 9 is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Here’s what ESPN had to say about the former Heisman finalist.

Hurts is the picture of the modern quarterback, with an ability to beat defenses with his legs, intermediate timing passing and stretching the field vertically. He’s efficient, instinctive and explosive. Hurts has risen from Day 2 draft prospect in 2020 to franchise quarterback in 2022, leading the Eagles to 10-1 atop the NFC. His 60 career touchdowns (39 passing, 21 rushing) tell the story of his dual-threat ability, and his completion percentage made a jump from 61.3% last year to 67.3% this year. – Miller, ESPN

Hurts is having a fantastic season for the 10-1 Eagles. He’s third in the NFL in passer rating and fourth in QBR. He’s completing 67.3% of his passes this season and has thrown 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions on the year. Only Tom Brady has thrown for fewer interceptions among quarterbacks who’ve made all 11 starts this season.

Coming in at No. 19, Hurts’ former teammate and NFC East rival, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

A lean but explosive wideout, Lamb has strong hands and the ability to contort his body to haul in catches. He’s on pace for his second 1,000-yard receiving season after stepping into the No. 1 wide receiver role for the Cowboys and proving to be a consistent target no matter the quarterback. Lamb is also versatile, showing an ability to win outside and from the slot, and 44 of his 64 catches this season have gone for first downs. – Reid

Lamb is the No. 5 wide receiver on the list, behind Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Seattle’s DK Metcalf, and Miami’s Jaylen Waddle.

Lamb is having a strong year for the 8-3 Cowboys, who are two games back of the Eagles in the NFC East. He’s 10th in the NFL with 64 receptions and seventh with 857 receiving yards. His five touchdown receptions are tied with Justin Jefferson for 13th in the league, and he’s tied for fifth in receptions for a first down with Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams in first with 44.

The Dallas Cowboys bet on CeeDee Lamb taking a step into star wide receiver territory when they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. And so far that’s paid off. He’s been a huge part of the Cowboys’ offensive attack and is the No. 1 target on one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Another former Sooner received honorable mention from ESPN, Kansas City Chiefs center [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag].

Humphrey’s pass block win rate of 97.6% ranks third overall in the NFL this year. He’s a nuanced technician who brings key intangibles to the middle of the Chiefs’ offensive front, and he hasn’t allowed a sack yet this season. – Bowen

Humphrey is quickly gaining a reputation for being the best center in the NFL just two years into his career. Playing for Andy Reid and providing front-of-pocket protection for Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are 9-2 and have the best record in the AFC.

Offensive lineman [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] hopes to be the next Sooner to take a step into stardom as he announced on Wednesday his intentions to enter the 2023 NFL draft.

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Sooners offensive tackle Anton Harrison declares for the 2023 NFL Draft

Oklahoma Sooners left tackle Anton Harrison declares for the 2023 NFL Draft. From @john9williams

With the 2022 regular season over, the departures have begun through the transfer portal, and now the Oklahoma Sooners have their first NFL draft declaration for the 2023 draft cycle.

Starting offensive tackle Anton Harrison will forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft. In three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners, Harrison played more than 1,000 snaps, starting each of the last two seasons.

He was the highest-graded player pass blocker each of the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. Over the last week, Harrison’s been selected in the first round of the Draft Wire’s two-round mock draft and was ranked No. 30 on Pro Football Focus’ big board.

Harrison made his draft declaration known on social media saying, “First and foremost, I’ll like to start by thanking God for the gifts and opportunities that he’s given me to play this game. To my mom, dad, and family, thank you for all your love and support. I am so blessed to have you with me throughout this journey. To my teammates, my brothers, over the past years you guys have turned into my brothers and I’ve built bonds that’ll last forever and I want to thank you guys for pushing me to be the best every day.”

Harrison continued saying, “I want to thank the Oklahoma coaching staff, past and present, for the opportunity and believing in me to play and grow on and off the field at this university.

“Lastly, Sooner Nation, thank you. I am thankful for you guys packing the Palace every Saturday. The atmosphere and energy you bring to every game is second to none.”

The first-team All-Big 12 selection concluded by saying, “After discussing with my parents and family, I have decided to forego my senior season and declare for the 2023 NFL draft. Thank you to every single person who supported me.”

Harrison will look to be the next star offensive lineman from the Oklahoma Sooners, following active greats Trent Williams, Lane Johnson, Creed Humphrey, Daryl Williams, and Orlando Brown.

Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor, Tyler Guyton, or Aaryn Parks will be looked at to fill the void left by Anton Harrison’s departure.

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Anton Harrison top 30 on Pro Football Focus’ 2023 NFL Draft big board

With a big decision looming, Anton Harrison ranked No. 30 on Pro Football Focus’ 2023 NFL Draft Big Board. From @john9williams

Among those making decisions on their future is offensive tackle Anton Harrison.

After his third season with the Sooners, second as a full-time starter, Harrison looks NFL bound. After going to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of Draft Wire’s latest 2023 mock draft, Harrison turned up in the top 30 of Michael Renner’s 2023 big board for Pro Football Focus.

Harrison’s mirroring ability at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds is what earns him this spot on the list. You see the natural athleticism in every pass set he takes, even if his technique isn’t quite dialed in yet. He earned an 85.6 pass-blocking grade last season. – Renner, PFF

At No. 30 overall, Harrison is the No. 4 offensive tackle, coming in behind Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson, and Georgia’s Broderick Jones.

That’s two different publications that think highly of Anton Harrison’s draft value, which would lead one to believe he’s got a great shot of being selected in the first round of the draft.

At one of the NFL’s “money five” positions (QB, WR, OT, pass rusher, CB), Harrison will get a bump in his draft stock because of the position he plays. As NFL teams employ more pass-oriented offenses, finding players that have NFL-ready pass-blocking ability is of critical importance.

Harrison has been Oklahoma’s highest-graded offensive lineman in pass protection over the last two seasons and looks to be ready to play in the NFL.

For Oklahoma’s sake, though, here’s hoping he returns to give it one more go around with the Sooners.

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