Tag: Mike Woods

Browns make another flurry of moves Saturday

Three receivers return to practice, one receiver down for “awhile”, one defensive end to IR, another officially signed and a few other moves confirmed in a busy Saturday for the Browns:

The Cleveland Browns head into the week ramping up to their first preseason game with a few question marks. Outside of QB Deshaun Watson’s discipline process, the Browns injury concerns seem to be piling up, especially at the wide receiver position.

Thankfully, they also seem to be getting a few players healthy as well.

Injuries are a part of a game that is full contact and, often, a full collision sport. While focusing on one team often leads fans to think their team is more injury prone than the next, they often even out during training camp.

It is the injuries that cost key players their whole season or that hit during important stretches that really cause problems.

Saturday, Cleveland made another flurry of moves to update their roster:

Sooners wide receiver Marvin Mims named to 2022 Biletnikoff Award watch list

Expected to take another step forward in his production, wide receiver Marvin Mims was included on the 2022 Biletnikoff Award watch list.

Perhaps no player on the Oklahoma Sooners roster will benefit more from the change in offensive play caller than wide receiver Marvin Mims.

For the second season in a row, Mims led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards, despite finishing fourth on the team in targets behind Jadon Haselwood, Michael Woods, and Mario Williams. Mims averaged 22 yards per reception last season and had huge days against Tulane, Texas, and Texas Tech.

Mims was incredibly underutilized down the stretch in 2021, receiving just eight targets the final three weeks of the season against Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State. Games in which the offense struggled for all or parts of those contests.

With a new play caller in Jeff Lebby and a believer in Brent Venables, Marvin Mims is about to take the college football world by storm.

Heading into year three with the Oklahoma Sooners, Marvin Mims has been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list for 2022.

Awarded annually since 1994, the only Oklahoma Sooner to take home the Biletnikoff was Dede Westbrook back in 2016.

Mims, who admitted he would have transferred had Lincoln Riley stayed in Norman, will get a new lease on life in an offense that feeds its number one wide receiver. Ole Missā€™ No. 1 receiver in 2021, Dontario Drummond, received 94 targets. Thatā€™s more than double the number of targets Marvin Mims received last season.

Drummond also had the fifth-most snaps among Rebels last season with 902. Marvin Mims was ninth on the Sooners in snaps played with just 470, second to Jadon Haselwood among wide receivers.

If Drummond’s usage is any indication, then Mims is looking at his first 1,000-yard season with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022. For the Sooners to get back to the top of the mountain in the Big 12 and into contention for the College Football Playoff, Mims will need to be the focal point of the Sooners’ passing attack.

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ā€˜Heā€™s a game changerā€™: Fresh start provides opportunity for Marvin Mims to have explosive 2022

In a new offense with a new quarterback, more opportunities could lead to an explosive season for Sooners wide receiver Marvin Mims.

Heading into 2021, the expectations had risen for sophomore wide receiver Marvin Mims. After tieing for the team lead in receptions and leading the team in yards and touchdowns, many expected Mims to take another step forward in performance and production.

While his yards per reception exploded from 16.5 in 2020 to 22 in 2021, he saw fewer targets and recorded fewer receptions than the year before. And Mims played in two more games in 2021 than he did his freshman year due to COVID.

Despite not having a 1,000-yard season to his name (yet), Mims was ranked No. 8 by Anthony Treash in Pro Football Focus’ top 25 wide receivers heading into 2022.

Depth at wide receiver limited Mims’ opportunities last year. Even with Theo Wease missing pretty much the entire season due to injury, oddly, Mims wasnā€™t utilized as much as he should have been in 2021.

Jadon Haselwood led the Oklahoma Sooners in snaps at wide receiver with 588. He received more than 100 snaps on the offensive side of the ball than Marvin Mims. Compare that to a school like Alabama, who had one of the most prolific offenses in the country, and they had three wide receivers with more than 600 snaps on the season. Slade Bolden, who was third on the Crimson Tide with 57 targets, still had 16 more targets than Mims, who finished fourth on the Oklahoma Sooners. Jameson Williams and John Metchie each recorded more than 100 targets on the season. Mims was fourth on the Sooners in targets behind Haselwood, Michael Woods, and Mario Williams. He had just four more targets than Jeremiah Hall.

Mims admitted on Thursday at Big 12 media days that the lack of opportunities was frustrating.

“There wasnā€™t as many targets as I was looking for, nowhere near it,” Mims said. “It was kind of a letdown, but at the end of the day I had to just keep battling through it. There were times where I was really unhappy about it with both the receiver coach and the offensive coordinator, but it was what it was.ā€

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense struggled with inconsistency several times in 2021. In the passing game, Oklahoma failed to get the ball to their best playmaker in Marvin Mims. He had three or fewer targets in nine games last season. Against Oklahoma State, when the offense was struggling to move the ball in the second half, Mims saw just two targets. Six players saw more targets than Mims in that game. His one reception was a four-yard catch.

Despite the lack of opportunities, Mimsā€™ big play ability allowed him to the lead the Sooners in receiving yards for the second year in a row.

In a new offensive system, Mims will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of returning Sooners. The break neck pace that Jeff Lebby wants to play at will increase the number of snaps per game, increasing the number of opportunities Mims and the rest of the wide receiver group will receive.

Dontario Drummond, who led the Ole Miss Rebels in receiving in 2021 saw 802 snaps last season. That led to 94 targets that Drummond turned into 76 receptions for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns.

Imagine if Marvin Mims saw a similar workload? Well we might just see that this year.

Mims and new starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel are building a rapport. One that should lead to opportunities for the electric wide receiver to easily eclipse his numbers from his first two years in Norman, which will further put into question the lack of usage.

ā€œI think what’s really cool about me and Marvin is we’re very similar in just the way we approach football, but also the way we approach life,” Gabriel shared with the media at Big 12 media days. “And as we connected and continue to have conversations over the past six or seven months, I just feel really confident in the person he is. Heā€™s a great human being and someone that I’d love to be friends with. And that’s why this relationship has been so smooth, so easy. And that’s like not even on the field, right? What he’s been able to do on the field is elite. Heā€™s a game changer. And he’s proven it last year, but what he’s about to do this year is take it to a whole another level. And Iā€™ve seen him grow in so many ways.ā€

Heading into his third year, the only returning primary receiver from last year, and with the full support of his quarterback and his offensive coordinator, Marvin Mims looks like a player about to explode in 2022.

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Defensive end Isaiah Thomas taken by the Browns, joining Perrion Winfrey and Mike Woods

Another Sooner heading to Cleveland.

On Twitter there’s been a joke for the last few years that the AFC North should be nicknamed AFC Norman, due to the sheer number of Oklahoma Sooners are littered across all four teams. Well, that statement will be proven correct again as the Cleveland Browns added yet another Oklahoma Sooner to their ranks with he selection of defensive end Isaiah Thomas in the seventh round with the 233rd overall pick.

Thomas, the Sooners leader in sacks last year, joins Perrion Winfrey and Mike Woods as Sooners turned browns today alone. Cleveland was in an absolute logjam of a spot where they basically had to spent their remaining draft capital that wasn’t shipped off in the trade for DeShaun Watson on defensive linemen as they virtually had no depth there at all. With Winfrey and now Thomas, they have two proven disruptors along the defensive front to add to their superstar defensive end in Myles Garrett. For his career at Oklahoma, Thomas finished withĀ 81 tackles, 26.5 TFLs, 18.5 sacks, four FF, three FR that largely came in his final season as he hardly played much hisĀ first three years at OU.

While Isaiah Thomas isn’t the most athletic of players, he’s smart, has a high motor, no character issues and will compete every snap as if it’s his last. He also has the added versatility to kick inside and rush the passer from the interior making way for rushers with a little more bend and burst to occupy the outside. In short, he’s exactly the type of player to build with.

Sooners WR Mike Woods drafted by Cleveland Browns in 6th round of NFL Draft

The Browns have selected another Sooner, this time taking WR Mike Woods in the sixth round of the NFL Draft

The first Oklahoma Sooners offensive player of the 2022 NFL Draft was finally taken off the board when the Cleveland Browns selected WR Mike Woods with the 202nd overall pick in the sixth round. Grant Calcaterra doesn’t count.

Cleveland joins the Denver Broncos as the second team to draft multiple Sooners this year after taking DT Perrion Winfrey in the fourth round with the 108th pick.

Originally an Arkansas Razorback, Woods transferred to OU but didn’t exactly have the same success he had in 2020 with the Hogs. While his yards did go down, he did reach a college career-high in receptions.

After losing both Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, the Browns needed new blood in their receiver room, and have double-dipped at the WR position with Woods and Purdue’s David Bell.

Woods is a deep threat. Not much more than that. While fast, he struggled to stick out in Lincoln Riley’s offense with both Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams under center.

The Browns are definitely adding bodies to their receiver room, but I’m not sure Mike Woods will do very much, but perhaps he can snag a roster spot near the bottom half of the depth chart.

Hopefully things go better in Cleveland for Woods and Winfrey than for Baker Mayfield.

Sophomore WR Cody Jackson has opted to enter the transfer portal

After finishing spring ball, the Sooners see wide receiver Cody Jackson enter the transfer portal.

Much of the news after the spring game has been extremely positive in for the Oklahoma Sooners football program. However, the harsh reality of the transfer portal has led to a wide receiver deciding to move on. Wide receiver [autotag]Cody Jackson[/autotag] entered his name in the transfer portal Monday and it looks like he’ll find a new place to play in 2022.

This is similar to last spring when [autotag]Mike Woods[/autotag] played in Arkansas’ spring game only to transfer to Oklahoma shortly thereafter.

Jackson, who caught just five passes for 45 yards in his freshman season enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining. He was one of the earliest commitments to the Sooners’ 2021 recruiting class. He committed nearly 2 years before signing with the Sooners and remained steadfast to his commitment the whole process.

He was a four-star recruit out of Foster, Texas (the same high school where Sooners legend [autotag]CeeDee Lamb[/autotag] came from) and only saw action in two games last year. He played in the Sooners’ wins in Norman against Western Carolina and Nebraska.

 

 

Jackson looked prime for more of an opportunity under offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby with several receivers departing via the transfer portal or to the NFL. But after sticking with the Sooners through the spring Jackson appears will be looking for a new home.

The Sooners’ receiver room looks pretty thin all things considered with [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] at the top of the depth chart. [autotag]Brian Darby[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevon West[/autotag] will figure into the rotation as well, while [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] have the potential to contribute in year one.

There is a good chance the Sooners will use the portal as a means to get one or two more receivers into the room if nothing else for depth purposes.

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Which Oklahoma Sooners made ESPN draft analyst Matt Millerā€™s top 300 for the 2022 NFL draft?

As the 2022 NFL Draft approaches ESPN Draft Analyst Matt Miller released his top 300 prospects with nine Oklahoma Sooners making the cut.

Draft season is about to come to a close when the 2022 NFL draft kicks off next Thursday night. The Oklahoma Sooners will be well-represented over the three day event with anywhere from six to 10 players getting their name called.

Over the last few weeks weā€™ve looked at where Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the Sooners draft prospects ranked in his draft guide ā€œThe Beastā€ and where they went in his full seven-round mock draft.

CBS Sports followed that up with their own seven-round mock draft and as many as seven Sooners were selected in each of the pre-draft projections.

Itā€™s that time of year where teams and analysts finalize their big boards. Whatā€™s notable with Oklahoma prospects is the diversity of thought thatā€™s come to pass on certain prospects. Others have seen a decline or rise in value. In particular it feels like Nik Bonitto and Perrion Winfrey have settled into a mid second to early third round picks.

Brian Asamoah and Isaiah Thomas on the other hand have a wide range of potential outcomes depending on how the draft falls.

Delarrin Turner-Yell looks to have made himself a draftable asset with his work in meetings with teams. His name continues to pop up in rankings and mock drafts. He might be a late-round selection, but heā€™ll get picked.

Today, weā€™re taking a look at ESPN draft analyst Matt Millerā€™s Top 300 prospects for the 2022 NFL draft. Nine Sooners were Ā ranked inside his top 300.

Marvin Mims among the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell

Oklahoma Sooners Marvin Mims is one of the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ passing game took a bit of a hit over the offseason with the transfers of [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and the NFL draft departure of [autotag]Mike Woods[/autotag]. While the Sooners lost their top three wide receivers in targets and receptions, they’re bringing back arguably their best wide receiver over the last two seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Mims production in 2021 was a product of circumstance. After leading the team in receptions and yards in 2020, expectations soared for the sophomore receiver heading into last season. With the depth and the inconsistent nature of the offense, it was difficult for Mims to find consistent opportunities last fall.

As teams began to take the deep ball away from the offense, little adjustments were made to get Marvin Mims opportunities in the short to intermediate parts of the field. Just 15 of his 41 targets on the season were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Only 37% of Mims targets went to the short part of the field. Compare that to Mike Woods (59%), Mario Williams (54%), and Jadon Haselwood (48%), and it’s clear that Lincoln Riley didn’t know how to get his best wide receiver involved. And that doesn’t account for the number of routes run deep down the field where he didn’t get the ball thrown his way.

But as the Sooners look to the future with [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as the offensive coordinator and Cale Gundy as the wide receivers coach, there’s renewed optimism in Marvin Mims and his ability to lead a wide receiver group that has talent but also has something to prove. Last week, Mike Farrell released his top 10 wide receivers returning for the 2022 season, and Marvin Mims came in at No. 7.

Mims is joined by three other Big 12 wide receivers, including Xavier Hutchinson of Iowa State at No. 10, Quentin Johnston of TCU at No. 5, and Xavier Worthy of Texas at No. 4.

The Big 12 leads the way with four wide receivers in Farrell’s top 10. The ACC is next with three, followed by the Big 10 with two, and the SEC with one.

Looking over this list, it’s clear that Mims could be more involved in the offense. Five of the top 10 wide receivers on the list had more than double the number of receptions that Mims saw in 2021. Two of those receivers had three times as many receptions last year.

Heading into his third season, Marvin Mims has a chance to lead the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yardage yet again. His big-play potential has stood out since he stepped foot in Norman. Will Jeff Lebby get him involved in other ways instead of solely relying on him as a deep threat? Based on the number of plays and the tempo Lebby wants to play with, Mims will have a chance to put up big numbers in 2022.

Here’s a look at the top 10 returning receivers according to Mike Farrell and their numbers from 2021.

Theo Wease pondered transfer to Ole Miss to join Jeff Lebby

Oklahoma wide receiver Theo Wease said on “The Podcast on the Prairie” that he thought about transferring to Ole Miss to join Jeff Lebby.

Several days after Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to become USC’s head coach, junior wide receiver Theo Wease put his name into the transfer portal. At the time, there was a fear that the Sooners might be in store for an exodus of mass proportions and it appeared as though Wease would be part of that.

Instead, Wease removed his name from the transfer portal several weeks later and announced his “unfinished business” with Oklahoma. What nobody knew at the time was where Wease was considering.

“I entered the portal becauseā€¦it was actually, I was going to hit the portal before the coaching staff change happened, if Iā€™m being honest. And then, itā€™s crazy, so Iā€™m going to take you up through my process. I was interested in going to Ole Miss and playing for [Jeff] Lebby. So, like we talked about me going out there. Come to find out, he gets a job at Oklahoma. Of course, I never wanted to leave Oklahoma, but you know just how certain stuff plays out, stuff happens.

Once I heard about Linc getting the new job, blah blah blah. Iā€™m like, okay, maybe the new coach, maybe this is just my blessing in disguise. Come to find out, I see Lebby gets the job. Iā€™m like, I was just talking to this guy. Why would I leave now? In Lebby we trust. In BV, trust me. Theyā€™re cooking up something special and theyā€™re not wasting their time with it. Itā€™s fast changes happening and Iā€™m loving it. Iā€™m excited for it all,” Wease said in an appearance on “The Podcast on the Prairie” with hosts Brayden Willis and Jeremiah Hall.

Given that he was prepared to perhaps join the Ole Miss Rebels, it’s obvious the impression that new OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby made on Wease. Brent Venables is drawing rave reviews from Wease as well.

“Man, Iā€™ve been enjoying it a 100 percent. BV, itā€™s just his whole mentality, just the swagger behind him that he brings to the team. The energy is just like, itā€™s contagious literally. We really feed off that energy,” Wease said.

It’s not just a new look at head coach and offensive coordinator. Oklahoma will have a new starting quarterback in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 200 pound receiver discussed what transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel has already added to the program.

“DGā€™s a great leader. Heā€™s like a people person. Heā€™s just fun to be around. You canā€™t dislike him. Friendly to everybody, pretty sure heā€™s cool with everybody. Texts everybody on the team every day, and thatā€™s just him. Itā€™s not fake at all. His arm talent isā€¦ trust me. Dime time. That first one not going to come out soft, itā€™s going to come out hot,” Wease said.

Of course, Wease missed this past season due to injury. Before his podcast appearance, it was unclear what exactly the ailment was. Based on his comments, it was some sort of foot injury.

“It was different, because Iā€™ve never really had a foot injury before. It was just different, you know, just the certain types of ways Iā€™ve got to retrain my body, retrain these muscles how to balance. Like at one point, I was picking up marbles and putting them in cups with my toes. It was crazy just thinking of doing stuff like that. It was I wouldnā€™t say easy. There was definitely some setbacks, but I had a good recovery,” Wease said.

Sooner fans are more than familiar with the type of playmaker Wease is when healthy. As a sophomore, Wease tied for the team lead with 37 receptions and finished as Oklahoma’s second-leading receiving yardage leader with 530 yards. He had four touchdowns that season.

“Always, always want more. I didnā€™t really go into the season expecting nothing. I just wanted to do, just go out there and do my thing, play my game, try not to think too much of it. I definitely would say I donā€™t think I had the season that Iā€™m capable of. Weā€™re going to save that for another. We got the 2022 season coming up, so you know how excited we is, you know how ready we are for that,” Wease said.

Wease joins a group of returning Oklahoma wide receivers that features Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, Brian Darby, Trevon West, Jalil Farooq and Cody Jackson. OU also signed Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson in its 2022 class. He has a message for those that wonder how Oklahoma will handle the defections of Mario Williams, Mike Woods and Jadon Haselwood from the wide receivers room at OU.

“Yeah, I definitely think itā€™s a special group for sure. I donā€™t think everybody realized how deep we actually were. Losing the guys, it hurt, but we got young guys, we got more guys. Itā€™s OU. Weā€™re just going to reload and weā€™re just going to go play ball,” Wease said.

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Report Card: Oklahoma Sooners fail to make the grade vs. Baylor Bears

How did the Oklahoma Sooners’ position groups grade out in their 27-14 loss to the Baylor Bears?

Oklahoma’s performance against Baylor wasn’t as pitiful as other earlier games this year. Still, it certainly lacked any level of competitive fire needed for a team who came into the game looking to answer a plethora of questions about how they would fair if tested by a good top 25 ranked football team. The test did not go as planned, and the Sooners took their first loss of the season 27-14 at the hands of the Baylor Bears.

Despite the final score, the game was tied 7-7 at the half. Oklahoma had a chance to win this game, but they never hit another gear. While this wasn’t a complete dismantling, there were a lot of position groups that struggled, which can only be more head-scratching considering the Sooners were coming off their bye week.

Let’s grade each group and break things down.