Tag: Anton Harrison

Tyler Guyton among Dane Brugler’s top-50 prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft

Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton is the lone Sooner in Dane Brugler’s initial 2024 top 50 draft board.

Oklahoma is just a week away from kicking off its 2023 season. They’ll take on Arkansas State at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The  Sooners look to distance themselves from a squad that started 3-0 but struggled inside Big 12 play.

Along the offensive line, the Sooners lost three starters from last year. Chris Murray graduated, and the tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris were drafted in the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.

Enter Tyler Guyton, a former transfer from TCU who played in 10 games and made five starts last year. His best performance came against Jared Verse and Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Verse would have been a top-ten pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but opted to stay in school one more year. It’s likely he’ll be a top-ten pick in the 2024 draft.

It was a nice back and for the battle between the two, with both Guyton and Verse winning snaps.

That performance and his noteworthy physical traits have caught the eye of the NFL and draft aficionados. Dane Brugler, one of the best scouting and draft experts in the business, released his initial top 50 draft board for the 2024 NFL Draft (subscription required). Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton was the lone Sooner to crack the top 50.

If he were to be drafted there, Guyton slotted in at No. 31. He’s currently Dane Brugler’s No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2024 class. With a premium placed on offensive tackles in the draft, there’s a good chance Guyton could be a first round pick.

Now, there are a couple of ways to look at that. As it stands, Guyton is comfortably a top-100 pick. Anton Harrison was similarly in the same range to start last season and stayed in the top 50 range until the draft before being selected 27th by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Guyton has more to prove than Harrison, as this year would be his first full season as a starter. Harrison started the 2021 season and played a lot in his true freshman season in 2020.

This is a prove-it year for Guyton. Pro Football Focus said he played 400 snaps and allowed two sacks and no hits on 191 pass-blocking plays in 2022. Those numbers work, but how will they play when teams consistently gameplan for you? That will be one of Guyton’s challenges.

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenabugh had a glowing review for his starting right tackle. “He’s got all the ability in the world,” Bedenbaugh said. “He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen, and we’ve had some pretty talented guys come through here.”

Guyton’s size and athletic traits will make him one of the more intriguing prospects in draft circles next spring. The stage is set for Guyton to become one of the best players on Oklahoma’s roster. He can also position himself as a first-round draft choice next April.

If he can take his game to the next level and secure Dillon Gabriel’s blindside, he has a great chance of becoming Oklahoma’s next first round offensive tackle.

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Jaguars OL coach: Anton Harrison’s feet ‘best I’ve seen out of a rookie’

Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher is very impressed with what he’s seen out of Anton Harrison.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had high hopes from day one for first-round pick Anton Harrison, essentially anointing him the team’s starting right tackle days after picking him in April.

After a few weeks of training camp, the Jaguars’ optimism hasn’t faded. Harrison has looked more than capable of starting duties in both training camp and preseason.

“His feet are the best I’ve seen out of a rookie,” Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher told the Florida Times-Union earlier this week. “We drafted Christian Darrisaw when I was in Minnesota in the first round and Christian’s an unbelievable player, but foot-speed-wise, Anton’s got him beat in that sense.

“When you don’t have great foot speed, you have to have great length and fundamentals and stuff. So [having great foot speed] kind of gives you an edge. … If you screw up, your feet can catch you back up and get you through the down, which is hard.”

Jacksonville would be very fortunate if Harrison developed the way Darrisaw has in Minnesota. The Vikings’ 2021 first-rounder earned a stellar 90.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, second highest among offensive tackles and third highest among all offensive linemen.

For now, the Jaguars are just hoping Harrison can be an adequate starter as a rookie when the team attempts to defend its AFC South crown. In a preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Harrison allowed zero pressures across 12 snaps in pass protection.

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Grading each Jaguars draftee’s preseason debut vs. Cowboys

Which Jaguars rookie impressed you most Saturday night?

The Jacksonville Jaguars started off preseason with a 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys that featured impressive performances from Nathan Rourke, DaVon Hamilton, and others.

Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence shook off an early interception to lead the Jaguars down the field for a touchdown and two-point conversion. But there’s no reason for Jacksonville fans to care too much about Lawrence’s preseason performance. It’s the rookies who deserve the most attention in August.

While training camp will reign supreme in determining who makes the 53-man roster, preseason is a big factor and it’s the first chance for many fans to see how the newest additions to the roster fit in.

So how did the Jaguars’ massive 13-player draft class perform Saturday night? Let’s take a closer look:

Walter Rouse back from his injury and ready to roll

After spending four years playing for the Stanford Cardinal, Walter Rouse is excited about making one last statement at OU.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] made a few splashes last offseason both in the transfer portal and in the [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag]. One of those was the addition of [autotag]Stanford Cardinal[/autotag] offensive tackle transfer, [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag].

Rouse finished his four-year career at Stanford with multiple accolades. He was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention selection twice and freshman second-team All-American. Instead of going pro, something he admitted was the plan. He decided to use his COVID year and transfer to Oklahoma.

That’s how he ended up at the [autotag]University of Oklahoma[/autotag]. The Sooners had a need at tackle after the departures of [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] to the NFL.

Combine that with the injury to freshman [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], and the Sooners were thin. Rouse comes to the Sooners with 38 starts under his belt and more than 2,500 snaps at the collegiate level. Despite missing the spring due to a shoulder injury, he said he’s ready to go.

“The shoulder feels great,” Rouse said. “A lot better than I expected it to be. Honestly, from the first day to now, I feel like I’ve been getting better every single day and improving just a little bit. Honestly, I’m just having fun. I haven’t been able to hit somebody in about eight months.”

He admits missing the spring led to a learning curve, but he said it helped that he could ask questions and do some mental reps on the side. But even with that missed time, Rouse feels the offensive line is coming along really well.

“Overall, especially the one’s group, we are really connecting with one another, and I’m loving working with Savion (Byrd) on the left side,” Rouse said. “Just really forming a great relationship with one another. Some of the stuff we are doing is non-verbal because we just are already feeling it, it’s already instinctive.”

The offensive line plays a major role in how the offense performs as a whole. It helps to have one of the best in the business coaching them in Bill Bedenbaugh. It might be crazy to say after losing a first-round left tackle, but if this group can come together, they have a chance at being even better than a year ago.

And if they are, the addition of Walter Rouse through the portal will be a big reason as to why.

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Four-star OL Jordan Seaton plans to officially visit Oklahoma

Oklahoma will be one of six schools to host four-star offensive line prospect Jordan Seaton for an official visit this fall.

IMG Academy has been very kind to Oklahoma this recruiting cycle.

Four-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson committed to Oklahoma this summer, and his teammate and close friend, five-star defensive tackle David Stone, plans to announce his college commitment on Aug. 26. The Sooners are believed to be the leaders, and Oklahoma not earning his commitment would be a massive shock to the recruiting landscape.

Oklahoma’s pursuit of players at IMG doesn’t end with the two defensive linemen. The Sooners are also recruiting four-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton. Seaton stands 6 feet, 5 inches and weighs over 285 pounds. 247Sports has him as its No. 81 prospect in the nation. He’s the third-ranked interior offensive line prospect in the nation.

Oklahoma offered Seaton last March, and it would seem they’ve stayed in contact over the past year. It also doesn’t hurt that Oklahoma has been active in two of his teammates’ college recruitments. While Jackson and Stone will have wrapped up their recruitment processes come September, Seaton will be getting started in earnest as he plans to take six official visits over the fall and even an additional unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa to check out Alabama again.

Oklahoma will be one of his six official visits; Seaton plans to come to Norman on Sept. 30. That’s the weekend of the Sooners’ first Big 12 home game of the season, when they take on Iowa State. In addition to that visit, he plans to officially visit LSU, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon and South Carolina.

Seaton has built a strong line of communication with the Ohio State Buckeyes, and if anyone is in a good position right now regarding this recruitment, it would be them. Still, with multiple official visits left, things can and will change in some fashion.

If Oklahoma lands Stone, could the combination of Stone and Jackson help push Seaton to consider Oklahoma heavily as his recruitment winds down? Only time will tell.

Landing an official visit is nothing to scoff at, and by all accounts, Oklahoma could realistically make up some ground long before Seaton decides.

Recruiting offensive line prospects from the DC area paid off recently for the Sooners. Bill Bedenbaugh helped Anton Harrison go from the 30th-ranked offensive tackle prospect in his recruiting class to the No. 27 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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5 Jaguars players to watch in preseason vs. Cowboys

Who are you most interested to keep an eye on during the Jaguars’ preseason opener?

On Jan. 21, the Jacksonville Jaguars walked off the field at Arrowhead Stadium and into the offseason after getting handed a 27-20 loss via the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nearly seven months later, the Jaguars will finally be suited up again and back under the lights for their first preseason game of 2023.

The defending AFC South champions will travel to face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night and the stakes are pretty low for both teams. Jacksonville doesn’t have many position battles to sort out this August, and the Cowboys had a similarly quiet offseason.

Still, the Jaguars have several new rookies and a few young players trying to work their way into the mix. Here are five players to keep a close eye on Saturday against the Cowboys:

Press Taylor on Anton Harrison: ‘He gets better every single day’

Jaguars coaches are encouraged by the steady growth of first-round rookie Anton Harrison.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are returning all but one of their starters from the 2022 season. The sole departure in the offseason was right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who received a blockbuster deal from the Kansas City Chiefs and was replaced by first-round pick Anton Harrison.

That leaves a team with high expectations relying on a rookie to maintain the right side of the Jaguars’ offensive line. But offensive coordinator Press Taylor likes what he’s seen from Harrison so far.

“The biggest thing expected of him is that he gets better every single day,” Taylor said of Harrison. “You want to continue to push him and continue to see that growth keep going. We don’t expect today where he’s going to be in week one. We want to see a lot of growth in that time, and so far, we’ve seen that day-to-day with him.”

Harrison made 24 starts in his three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners with 23 on the left side. While coaches have been encouraged by the early signs from Harrison, it’s also tough to have too many takeaways from practices without pads.

“Obviously when you’re in shorts like we’re in, it’s a little harder for the offensive and defensive lines,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Saturday. “I try to control the tempo there and control the pace. I just don’t need a lot of bodies on the ground. There’s a different tempo when the pads come on, we’re okay, let’s go and cut it loose.”

Harrison’s first practice in pads was Tuesday and he’ll (presumably) get his first live snaps next weekend when the Jaguars travel to play the Dallas Cowboys in their preseason opener on Aug. 12.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: OT Anton Harrison

Jaguars first-round rookie Anton Harrison is expected to start right away at right tackle.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is underway. Join us for a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars hit the field in the fall, they’ll have 21 of their 22 starters from the 2022 season still on the roster. The only departure was right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who signed a massive deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.

To address that departure, the Jaguars selected Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison late in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

While other rookies on the roster will be battling for play time and roster spots in training camp, there’s not much mystery about Harrison’s immediate future. Barring injury, he’ll be the starting right tackle in Week 1 and for the foreseeable future in Jacksonville.

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $1,649,731 prorated signing bonus, $2,399,731 cap hit.

Acquired: The Jaguars drafted Harrison with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

PFF grades:

  • 72.6 (2022 – OKLA)
  • 77.0 (2021 – OKLA)
  • 69.1 (2020 – OKLA)

Highlight:

Quote: “He’s going to come in and work over on the right side. He’ll be next to [right guard] Brandon Scherff and sort of solidify that spot for us. His versatility, not only to play the left side which he played in school, but he can also move inside and potentially play guard, so there’s so many things that we can do. But we want to keep him in one spot, get him to start developing and growing in one spot and feel comfortable there before we start moving him around.” – Jaguars coach Doug Pederson on Harrison

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50)
Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55) Yasir Abdullah (No. 56)
Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64) Chandler Brewer (No. 67)
Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73) Cam Robinson (No. 74)
Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79) Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80)
Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87) Oliver Martin (No. 88)
Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Dawuane Smoot (No. 91) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus Jacob Harris
Josh Pederson

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5 Oklahoma Sooners who could make All-Big 12 first team in 2023

Prior to Big 12 media days, the conference released the preseason All-Big 12 team as voted on by the media. What 5 Sooners that weren’t included could earn postseason honors?

The Big 12 released its All-Big 12 preseason teams just a few weeks ago and only one Oklahoma Sooner made the list, defensive end Ethan Downs.

Three Sooners made the All-Big 12 first team after their 2022 seasons; [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] Jr., [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Turk[/autotag]. The only player to make the All-Big 12 preseason team last summer was Turk.

That has us thinking, who are some of the players that have a chance to make the All-Big 12 first team when the season ends that wasn’t a preseason selection?

From improvements defensively to question marks across the league, there are several candidates who could play themselves into postseason honors.

But for this list, I’ve only chosen five.