Tag: Sooners in the NFL

Anton Harrison heads to Cincinnati in latest PFF 2023 NFL mock draft

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Anton Harrison was taken in the first round in Pro Football Focus’ latest 2023 NFL mock draft.

With the national title game out of the way, comes the college football offseason, and several Sooners are heading to the NFL draft.

One of the Sooners’ most notable personnel losses is starting left tackle [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag]. Harrison put it all together in 2022 and earned All-Big 12 honors. After declaring for the NFL draft, he’ll spend the next few months meeting with teams and preparing for the NFL draft combine.

His floor seems to be the end of the second round. He plays one of the premium positions in the entire sport, so he should find himself getting drafted in the first 50 picks.

In Pro Football Focus’ latest 2023 NFL mock draft, Harrison went No. 27 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals to keep Pro Bowl QB Joe Burrow upright.

Here’s what Pro Football Focus’ Michel Renner said about the pick.

The Bengals have not been shy about drafting first-rounders who may not be starters out of the gate. Harrison could allow the Bengals to kick Jonah Williams inside in time. He allowed all of nine pressures on 447 pass-blocking snaps this past season at Oklahoma. – Renner, PFF

The talented offensive lineman’s pass-blocking ability makes him a fascinating prospect and why he is garnering first-round love. A plug-and-play left tackle that can keep its most valuable player upright is an easy investment for an NFL front office. Harrison can improve his stock with a great showing at the combine, Oklahoma’s pro day, private workouts, and interviews.

He also would get the opportunity to block for [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag] and [autotag]Samaje Perine[/autotag], former Sooners who hold down the backfield for the Bengals.

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8 Sooners named 2023 Pro Bowlers

Eight former Sooners named to the Pro Bowl, led by four offensive linemen, which is the most from any college.

Oklahoma is in the midst of signing their stars of tomorrow. If they have aspirations of getting to the NFL, knowing how many Oklahoma go to the NFL (fourth all-time in NFL draft picks) and that they excel when they get there might make a difference. This year for example as eight former Sooners were announced as Pro Bowlers earlier this year.

Several Sooners were selected to the Pro Bowl for the first-time. Several veterans, who are now considered the gold standard at their positions, continued to rack up Pro Bowl selections.

No college had more Pro Bowl selections along the offensive line than Oklahoama’s four. Here are the eight former Sooners who now can call themselves 2023 Pro Bowlers.

Browns have no one to blame but themselves for Baker Mayfield situation

After burning bridges with former Sooners QB Baker Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns find themselves in a massive mess of their own creation

I genuinely have no idea what the Cleveland Browns are doing.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to move on from former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield. Nothing at all. It is a business, after all. However, the way the Browns have gone about this baffles me.

Mayfield played the vast majority of last season with a torn labrum. Should he have put himself through that? Probably not. Did the Browns handle wanting to move on from Mayfield properly? Definitely not.

Mayfield has said the Browns weren’t truthful with him regarding what they  planned, and now they’re paying the price for what they did.

The Browns picked up the fifth-year option on Mayfield’s rookie contract, and he is due slightly less than $19 million dollars this season. That’s not an easy thing to trade, and Mayfield’s injury only makes it harder.

The Browns reportedly do not want to pay any of Mayfield’s salary, which is why it’s taken so long to find a trade partner.

The Carolina Panthers are reportedly trying to acquire Mayfield again after trade talks with the Browns fell apart during NFL draft week in April.

Here’s where things get tricky.

The Panthers are already on the hook for Sam Darnold’s fifth-year option, which is also worth a cap hit of just under $19 million. No one on the Panthers has a larger cap hit than Darnold for this season, and they have around $25 million in cap space.

So yes, they have the cap space to get a deal done, but they don’t want to have that much money tied up by two, at this point, unproven QBs. If the Browns want Mayfield gone, they’re going to have to eat some of this contract.

And now for Deshaun Watson.

Simply put, this situation is an absolute mess, fiasco and disaster.

After shipping off three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks, the Browns gave Deshaun Watson the most player-friendly contract in the history of American Football: $230 million guaranteed.

With Watson’s legal situation getting worse by the day, the NFL isn’t going to allow this to go on much further. A long suspension is coming. While the Browns might be able to get out of this ridiculous contract, those picks are gone. They aren’t getting them back.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslem has said he’s not the one who originally wanted Watson, but, as the owner, he could, at the very least, have prevented this. He didn’t, of course, because he wants his team to win football games.

At what cost, sir?

The Browns have thoroughly torched their relationship with the best QB they’ve had since returning to Cleveland, and these legal troubles with Watson will not be going away anytime soon.

Since Baker likely will not play a snap for the Browns this year, the options head coach Kevin Stefanski have are Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs.

Don’t feel bad for the Browns. They did this to themselves.

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Baker Mayfield requests trade from the Cleveland Browns

Former Heisman winning Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield formally requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns.

It was no secret that the Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield were at odds. Their relationship since Mayfield was drafted number one overall in the 2018 NFL Draft has not been the smoothest.

Their relationship has finally reached its breaking point as the former Heisman winning quarterback formally requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

After the Cleveland Browns met with Deshaun Watson on Tuesday, Baker Mayfield took to his Twitter and Instagram accounts to thank Browns fans for all of their support over the years. Watson has been the talk of the trade market with the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Atlanta Falcons all entered into discussions to trade for the Houston Texans quarterback.

There was also talk that the Browns may consider trading Mayfield whether they acquire Watson or not.

Mayfield chose not to wait around for dominoes to fall and instead requested the trade on his own. The decision was not met with open arms as the Browns have no plans to honor it.

With that decision, the Browns and Baker Mayfield are in a standoff as they now try to figure out what’s next for both parties.

The Browns appear out for the pursuit of Watson as it looks like the aforementioned NFC South teams all stand a better shot at landing Watson. Mayfield is due just north of $18 million on the final year of his rookie deal.

Last week’s trade for Amari Cooper looks like a thing of the past as Mayfield’s made it known he wants out of Cleveland. Mayfield was the biggest beneficiary of the move heading into the final year of his rookie contract deal with a healthy shoulder and a new weapon.

Now we wait to see how the latest saga of Baker and the Browns unfolds.

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Joe Mixon named a ‘stud’ performer despite Bengals Super Bowl LVI loss

Despite the Bengals’ close loss in Super Bowl LVI, former Sooner Joe Mixon was named a stud for his performance by Bengals Wire.

The Cincinnati Bengals fell just short in Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams. Multiple Sooners were playing in the game, and either way, a former Sooner would become a Super Bowl Champion. The game came down to the last two minutes, and for casual fans, that’s all you could ask for.

On the Bengals side, Joe Mixon, Jordan Evans, and Samaje Perine all donned the orange and black of the Bengals. Our friends at BengalsWire took the liberty of highlighting the stars, studs, and duds of their team’s performance, and one of the two former Sooners running backs on the Bengals roster landed was named a “stud.”

How good was Mixon running into the teeth of an elite defensive line? He gained 72 yards on 15 carries, averaging 4.8 per chance. If there was a negative, it was the five catches for one yard, but there’s more that goes into that than simple numbers. Mixon was running hard and decisively all night. – Chris Rolling, Bengals Wire

Mixon has always been an excellent running back, but primarily due to Cincinnati’s team success has hardly been given the spotlight he deserves.

He played his heart out running against a defensive line that features two sure-fire Hall of Famers in Von Miller and Aaron Donald on top of having to run against an elite run-stopping defensive lineman like A’Shawn Robinson. The Bengals offensive line held up on the ground and gave Mixon just enough space to get active.

While Mixon didn’t have much of an impact catching the ball, he impacted in other ways. His only touchdown was a passing TD deep in the red zone to wide receiver Tee Higgins set up in part to how well the Bengals were running the ball.

For Mixon, he finished his regular season with 292 carries for 1,205 yards for 13 touchdowns while also hauling in three receiving touchdowns. For Mixon, Perine, and the rest of the Bengals, it’ll be back to the drawing board as they try to figure out what they can do to get back to the Super Bowl next year.

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League-high 9 Sooners in action on NFL’s conference championship weekend

Oklahoma has a league-high nine former Sooners playing in the NFL’s conference championship weekend. Here’s a look at the nine in action.

There will be plenty of Oklahoma representation during the NFL’s conference championship weekend. Nine former Sooners are on active rosters and will be in action on Sunday looking to advance to Super Bowl LVI.

It’s worth noting that former Sooner Jordan Evans is also a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, but Evans suffered a torn ACL in week five against the Green Bay Packers.

Here’s a look at the nine Sooners in action this weekend.

Former Sooner Mark Andrews becomes first Ravens’ tight end with over 1,000 yards in a single season

Former Oklahoma Sooners’ tight end Mark Andrews became tight end in Baltimore Ravens history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

The Sooners have become well represented across the National Football League at many different positions. From quarterbacks to running backs, to offensive linemen, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties, the Sooners are represented by some of the best in the world.

At the tight end position, one name stands above the rest in terms of recent Oklahoma players. Mark Andrews is widely considered a top-five tight end in the NFL. He’s been nothing but productive as the starting tight end for the Baltimore Ravens for a few years now. In his latest game, Andrews accomplished what no other tight end in the history of the Baltimore Ravens franchise ever has.

Andrews became the first Baltimore Ravens tight end to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving yards milestone in a single season with an early reception against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Earlier this season, Andrews had already exceeded Todd Heap’s previous Ravens record for tight ends with 855 yards receiving in 2005.

Andrews became the first Ravens 1,000-yard receiver since Mike Wallace and finished the game with an incredible 10 catch, 136-yard, and two touchdown performance.

It’s not difficult to believe Andrews had this in him. He broke records while at Oklahoma too.

He’s the all-time leader in receiving yards and second in receptions among Oklahoma Sooners tight ends. He’s also the only Oklahoma tight end to win the John Mackey award, given to the best tight end in college football.

Andrews has emerged as the number one guy for the Ravens, who are currently playing without their 2019 MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Despite being the number one guy, Andrews has continued to produce in the face of double teams on a weekly basis.

He and the Baltimore Ravens have a few more games to try and figure out their way into the playoffs, but if they don’t make it, it will hardly be due to a lack of production from Mark Andrews, who’s tput together the single best season for a tight end in franchise history.

2 Former Sooners among the highest graded Offensive Linemen per Pro Football Focus

Oklahoma’s long been known for producing NFL-caliber offensive linemen and two former Sooners are among PFF’s top-graded in 2021.

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The Oklahoma Sooners have long been known for their ability to produce strong offensive lines and to put players into the NFL. And not just in recent years either. Their recruitment and development of offensive linemen goes back a decade or more.

And NFL teams are reaping the rewards.

Drafted 11 years apart, former Oklahoma Sooners Trent Williams and Creed Humphrey have been two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, they’ve graded out as the top offensive linemen at their position this season.

At tackle, Trent Williams leads the next highest tackle by more than seven points in the Dallas Cowboys’ Tyron Smith. Since coming into the NFL, Williams has had the two highest graded seasons (2016 and 2021) for an NFL left tackle according to Pro Football Focus.

Williams has allowed just one sack and 15 total pressures on 417 pass-blocking snaps this season. He’s been the backbone of a San Francisco 49ers offensive line that is eighth in the NFL in rushing yards in 2021.

As a rookie, Creed Humprey is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded center in the NFL. He’s earned the highest grade from PFF since Jason Kelce’s 2017 performance. Humphrey has been a steal for the Kansas City Chiefs after falling to the end of the second round.

Humphrey has allowed just one sack and 10 quarterback pressures this season, helping Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs rejuvenate their offense this season.

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Former Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman ranked No. 1 right tackle in the NFL

The Sooners have produced some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. A former Sooner was named No. 1 at his position. by Trench Warfare.

Make no mistake, Oklahoma is QBU.  Two of the last four Heisman winners are Sooners in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Now, they both start on Sundays in the NFL. Jalen Hurts enters the season as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. And OU’s current signal-caller, Spencer Rattler, is a Heisman favorite and a projected first-round draft pick in 2022. That trend is expected to continue when five-star prospect Malachi Nelson arrives in 2023.

Under Lincoln Riley, the Oklahoma Sooners have built a quarterback pipeline in Norman.

But quarterbacks aren’t the only thing the Sooners pour into the NFL. Oklahoma has done a great job recruiting and developing offensive line talent over the years, with Lane Johnson, Trent Williams, Creed Humphrey, and Orlando Brown just a few of the Sooners currently in NFL trenches.

Johnson, who enters his ninth year at tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, was named the No. 1 right tackle in the NFL by Trench Warefare analyst Brandon Thorn.

Although an ankle injury limited Johnson to seven games in 2020, both Thorn and the Eagles expect him to return to form as one of the league’s most consistent linemen.

Johnson started 15 of the 16 games during Philadelphia’s 2018 Super Bowl run. The following season, he posted a career-best passing grade of 88.8 per Pro Football Focus.

The three-time Pro Bowler enters the season blocking for another former Sooner in second-year quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Much like their division rival Dallas Cowboys, injuries across the offensive line shipwrecked the offense last season. Johnson’s return should provide a cleaner backfield in 2021 and give Philadelphia’s Miles Sanders and Jalen Reager room to use their lethal speed.

WATCH: Rhamondre Stevenson unleashes physicality at Patriots training camp

Rhamondre Stevenson displayed some of his trademark physicality at New England Patriots training camp.

It felt like an absolutely perfect fit when the New England Patriots drafted Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft. Memories of LeGarrette Blount running over defenders to help the Patriots win big playoff games and Super Bowls sprung to mind.

Stevenson hasn’t taken long to bring the same physicality he displayed for the Oklahoma Sooners to the NFL. Yesterday, at New England Patriots training camp, he went through Patriots safety Myles Bryant before picking up a huge gain in the padded practice.

To be fair to Mr. Bryant, this isn’t the first time Rhamondre’s done something like this, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Stevenson comes into Patriots training camp in an interesting situation. New England has Damien Harris, Sony Michel, and James White on the running back depth chart, limiting Stevenson’s role in his rookie season.

Harris looks like he’ll start the season as the lead back. James White is the pass-catching back. Sony Michel has the most experience, but his injuries have kept him from developing beyond a solid rotational runner. That doesn’t leave a lot of work for Stevenson.

Despite not being locked into a featured role for the Patriots at the moment, Stevenson could still make a significant impact.

His physicality, quick feet, and excellent vision should force Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to get him on the field early in his career as a short-yardage runner. In goal-line situations and on third and fourth and short, Rhamondre Stevenson should be the guy carrying the ball.

Even if only used as a situational runner in his rookie season, Rhamondre Stevenson will have an opportunity to make a big impact for the New England Patriots. And when he does, it won’t be long before he gets more opportunities to carry the ball on early downs.

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