Tag: Walter Rouse

Pair of Sooners rookie offensive tackles PFF’s highest graded in NFL Preseason

Tyler Guyton and Walter Rouse are the highest graded rookie offensive tackles in the NFL preseason according to Pro Football Focus.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of an offensive line rebuild, losing four of their primary starters to the NFL and two of those guys are making a ton of noise in NFL preseason.

[autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] with the Dallas Cowboys and [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] of the Minnesota Vikings are Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive tackles in NFL preseason.

Now, it’s just the preseason, but it’s a strong start to their careers for the former Sooners offensive tackles. Guyton has been the talk of the preseason, replacing All-Pro and future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Tyron Smith. After being selected in the first round, Guyton went to work with offensive line trainer Duke Manyweather and has made a seamless transition from playing right tackle to left tackle.

Walter Rouse was taken in the sixth round by the Vikings. Rouse is currently projected to be the backup in Minnesota, but he’s earned a roster spot and a chance to develop and compete for snaps down the road.

The two players arrived at Oklahoma at various states of their development. Rouse was a graduate transfer from Stanford and played a significant role in a Sooners offense that averaged 40 points per game last season. His block of two Texas Longhorns allowed Dillon Gabriel just enough time to find Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Guyton came to Oklahoma after two seasons with the TCU Horned Frogs, where he played defensive end and tight end before making the switch to offensive tackle. In two seasons with the Sooners, Guyton flourished. First he was the backup offensive tackle, starting a few games for Wanya Morris in the 2022 season before taking over as the starting right tackle last season.

Rouse and Guyton are notable feathers in the cap of offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag]. That developmental success is why there’s so much trust and belief in Oklahoma’s ability to reload along the offensive line despite losing the five guys who started for the majority of the 2023 season.

There are a number of players who’ve come through Oklahoma to go on to have successful NFL careers and Rouse and Guyton look like they’re on a strong trajectory to be next on the list.

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College Football expert says it all starts up front for Oklahoma’s offense

On3’s J.D. PicKell says the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line is the key to the 2024 season.

It’s been an offseason of transition for the Oklahoma Sooners. A new quarterback, new coordinators, and a new conference have highlighted much of the change that is being experienced in Norman.

But at no spot is turnover more deeply felt than along the offensive line. Gone are [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag], [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], and [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], who are preparing for their first NFL training camps. Gone is [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], who transferred to Missouri.

Those five players played an average of 762.2 snaps for the Sooners last season. Raym, Mettauer, and Rouse led the way for the Sooners offense in snap counts, according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s no small task to replace that much experience. And with a unit like offensive line where so much depends on the chemistry, communication, and continuity of the unit, the turnover is significant.

Oklahoma did a lot over the offseason to help replace the lost experience. They added [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], and [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] through the transfer portal. That group of five brings a lot of snaps at the collegiate level to combine with Bill Bedenbaugh’s blue-chip recruits that he’s been developing the last couple of years.

Tarquin, Hatchett, Hickman, and Nwaiwu each figure to compete for a role or will start for the Sooners week one against Temple. Mix in ascending players like [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag], four-star offensive tackles in the [autotag]2022 recruiting class[/autotag], and four-star interior offensive linemen from the 2023 recruiting class [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], and the Sooners have options along the offensive line.

If there’s any position group that will determine how much success the Sooners have this season, it’s the offensive line. But On3’s J.D. PicKell argues that if the Sooners get good offensive line play, all of the other pieces are there for OU to be dynamic on offense once again.

“If you give him time to throw the football, they’re gonna have a chance to make some real noise and kind of rattle the cage in the SEC a little bit their first year out there because they replace pretty much the whole offensive line that’s been well documented.”

PicKell goes on to say, “But if they can make that mechanism work the way that it needs to give him time to get through his reads and progress and get comfortable. They got more than enough firepower that wide receiver room to make some shake.”

The talent that Oklahoma has at wide receiver, quarterback, and running back is impressive. Led by quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], the Sooners have the players capable of creating another explosive offense. But Arnold will need time to throw and Sawchuk will need lanes to run through.

There is enough talent and experience in Norman for offensive line wizard [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] to put another strong unit together once again. We’ve seen him do it before and when fall camp gets underway, competition will provide the answers up front to help lead this team into the SEC.

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3 reasons the Oklahoma Sooners will win big in 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners are a talented football team, but for them to win big, these three things have to happen.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a better idea of what the 2024 season will look like with the SEC’s release of game time windows on Tuesday. How they and the Texas Longhorns will fare in their first year in the SEC is anyone’s guess.

Texas made the playoffs last season, and the Sooners are one of the winningest programs over the last 25 years. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was brought in to prepare Oklahoma for this conference move.

His experience with the Clemson Tigers certainly informs Venables about what it takes to be successful in their new conference home. Each of his first three offseasons has been about getting Oklahoma “SEC ready.”

At the same time, the Sooners provide a new challenge for Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU. OU is considered a blue-blood program for a reason. With seven national titles and 50 conference championships, the Sooners will be a contender in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Can they do it in Year 1? That’s the question everyone’s asking. Here are three reasons OU will win big in 2024 and make the College Football Playoff.

More: College Football Playoff Projections for 2024

Up Next: 3 reasons OU wins big in 2024

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Vikings sign sixth-round OL Walter Rouse

The Minnesota Vikings have announced they’ve come to terms with sixth-round draft pick Walter Rouse. This leaves three selections unsigned.

As the NFL offseason continues to kick into high gear with rookie minicamps, teams around the league are also continuing to get their NFL draft classes under contract. That includes the Minnesota Vikings, who just announced they’ve come to terms with another member of their rookie class— sixth-round offensive lineman Walter Rouse.

Rouse was the Vikings’ first of two picks in the sixth round, coming off the board to Minnesota at No. 177. Rouse figures to provide the Vikings with much-needed depth along the offensive line. He played tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023 after transferring from Stanford following four seasons with the Cardinal.

Rouse comes in as the likely primary backup for starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw, as Rouse was a primary left tackle at both Oklahoma and Stanford. However, he’ll likely be battling with UDFAs Doug Nester and Spencer Rolland for a roster spot.

With the signing of Rouse, the Vikings are down to just three members of the 2024 NFL draft class left unsigned: first-round picks J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner and fourth-rounder Khyree Jackson.

Oklahoma Sooners are a wild card in 2024 according to On3’s Andy Staples

Andy Staples of On3 thinks the Sooners will be a “wild card” in Year 3 under Brent Venables. Could they make the expanded playoff?

The Oklahoma Sooners are at an interesting inflection point two and a half months from the beginning of the 2024 college football season.

The Sooners are entering year three of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era in Norman. After he was hired to be OU’s next head coach in December of 2021, a disappointing 6-7 campaign in 2022 followed.

Oklahoma rebounded in 2023 with a 10-3 mark in year two, and there’s no question that this is a Brent Venables program now. He’s got his guys in place on the field and on the coaching staff.

But the Sooners head to the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag] in 2024, after a long run atop the [autotag]Big 12 Conference[/autotag] that featured fourteen conference titles. That’s ten more than anyone else.

The SEC will be a much tougher road than the Big 12 was, and On3’s Andy Staples has some concerns for the Sooners in 2024, calling them a mystery.

According to Staples, the floor for this Oklahoma team could be 6-6. However, he also thinks the ceiling could be a trip to the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag].

“If they’re 6-6, if they’re 7-5,” Staples said, “What do you do about Brent Venables? How do you feel about Brent Venables if you’re [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag], their athletic director?”

Staples and others present the offensive line as a concern for the team in 2024. Oklahoma is replacing the entire unit this season. [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the [autotag]NFL Draft[/autotag] and [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] transferred to Missouri. The Sooners also lost [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] up front.

Staples notes that the Sooners added pieces via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] to fill those holes. [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] came over from Michigan State in the winter portal window. [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] is a plug and play piece at center, transferring in during the spring window from SMU. [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag] and [autotag]Geriean Hatchett[/autotag] also arrived via the portal and will have an impact along the offensive line this fall.

These players will form the core of the unit along with young pieces like [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag],[autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag], but it is a patchwork O-line that will have to protect quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] if the Sooners want to be successful in 2024.

Staples thinks the Sooners are the deepest they’ve been in a while on defense,  and he knows why the OU staff and fans are excited for Arnold. He praised the wide receiver group as well.

Many in the national media don’t seem to have the faith in Venables quite yet that most Sooner fans do. They site the SEC presenting a challenge that Oklahoma hasn’t seen before.

But Venables is one of the great defensive minds in college football. He’s leading the way for the program, in addition to all of the skill and depth on that side of the ball. Then, of course, there’s that talented but young quarterback stepping into the starting role.

The Sooners may very well be a wildcard in year one in their new conference. But if the offensive line can hold up long enough for Arnold to have time to throw, it could be a very fun year in Norman.

If not, it could be detrimental to Arnold’s development, and 2024 could be a long season in the SEC.

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Walter Rouse selected in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft

With the 177th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Walter Rouse from the University of Oklahoma.

The Minnesota Vikings added one of the steals of the NFL draft when they selected offensive tackle Walter Rouse in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft. The Vikings took Rouse No. 177 overall.

Rouse, who started his career at Stanford, played one season with the Sooners, helping solidify Oklahoma’s offensive line. His experience and work ethic made a huge difference on a unit replacing both offensive tackles after the 2022 season.

In five seasons, Rouse played more than 3,400 snaps and was good in both the run and pass blocking schemes.

In 2023, he was a part of a Sooners offense that was one of the most efficient and explosive in college football. On 480 pass blocking snaps, he didn’t allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

Rouse will be remembered for his awareness and effort at the end of the Red River Showdown. Down three in the final seconds of the game he blocked two Longhorns, giving Dillon Gabriel just enough time to find Nic Anderson in the corner of the end zone to beat the Longhorns.

Now, Rouse gets the opportunity to compete for snaps with another explosive offense in Minnesota.

Vikings select OT Walter Rouse with 177th overall pick in 2024 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings have selected Walter Rouse out of the University of Oklahoma with the 177th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Minnesota Vikings have selected Walter Rouse out of the University of Oklahoma with the 177th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rouse has been a key offensive centerpiece for two schools’ lines and is one of the better pass-protecting tackles in all of college football.

You may be asking, “If he is among the better pass-protecting tackles, why wasn’t he drafted sooner?”

The film shows that he is a tad slow out of his set when the ball is snapped and the size and system raised some questions. Despite that, Rouse is a very experienced player and will provide a great depth addition to the Vikings tackle group.

Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are bona fide starters at tackle, but injuries do happen. The team recently had to release Coy Cronk due to a non-football injury, which left them short-staffed at left tackle. Rouse comes in and fills that void.

If Rouse can develop into something more, great, but this is a low-risk selection compared to most under GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Tyler Guyton inside top 15 of ESPN’s latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle continues to get a lot of love in NFL mock drafts, landing inside the top 15 of ESPN’s latest mock draft.

Development is the name of the game in college football. One of the best developers in the game coaches the offensive line for the Oklahoma Sooners, [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

Heading to the NFL combine are three of his offensive linemen from the 2023 season, [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag], and [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. The Super Bowl featured a pair of former starters, [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag]. The 2023 NFL draft featured a Bedenbaugh offensive tackle going in the first round, Anton Harrison.

A couple of months out from the 2024 NFL draft, Bedenabaugh and the Sooners may go back-to-back if early mock drafts are any indication. [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] has been a popular pick in the back end of the first, but in Field Yates’ latest mock draft for ESPN (ESPN+), Guyton was taken No. 15 overall by the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints might need to replace two offensive tackles this offseason, as longtime stalwart Ryan Ramczyk has dealt with a knee injury that could force him into retirement and Trevor Penning has struggled since being taken in the first round just two years ago. Guyton oozes upside with excellent quickness and the potential to anchor either tackle spot for a long time. He has allowed one sack over 29 career games (15 starts). – Yates, ESPN

If Guyton were to go No. 15, it would be Oklahoma and Bedenbaugh’s highest offensive line selection during his tenure as Sooners offensive line coach.

Guyton’s path to a potential first-round draft pick has been a unique one. He started out as a defensive lineman with TCU before switching to offensive tackle. Then, after transferring to Oklahoma, served in a reserve role, filling in for Wanya Morris during the 2022 season. He started the Cheez-It Bowl and received rave reviews that spilled over into the 2023 season.

He’s got great athleticism for the position and is an ascending player. He’ll continue to get better and will be an asset at the next level for a number of teams. At the NFL combine, he’ll get a chance to increase his draft stock even further when he goes through athletic testing and meetings with NFL front offices.

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Oklahoma Sooners must solve their offensive line problem heading into 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners have their work cut out for them with the offensive line but could any of the young guys be an answer?

There is no doubt the Oklahoma Sooners’ biggest question mark heading into 2024 and their inaugural season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] is the offensive line. The Sooners lose five guys who started a bunch of games last season.

[autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] are gone. Four are off to the [autotag]NFL[/autotag]. The other found a new home in Missouri. That means the Sooners will have their work cut out for them to replace those five.

[autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] played some at guard but started the bowl game at center, which is probably his more natural position. We’ll see if he wins that job, but it appears he’s the leader to take over for Raym. [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] started the last few games after Guyton went down with an injury and did pretty well. The Sooners also brought in two transfers [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag], who look poised to take over at tackle and guard.

But that still leaves spots unfilled. The Sooners are almost certainly going to remain active in the portal, but it’s also possible an incoming freshman gets a look. Most people have assumed that would be [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag], seeing how highly thought of he is. But a constantly mentioned top performer at the Under Armour All-American events is [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag].

“I don’t know where it will start for me, but I’m just going to go in there and ball out,” Brooks said. “I’m going to work my butt off. I’m going to go in there every day and give it 110% and be the first one in and the last one out.”

It seems with Brooks, [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag], Pierre-Louis, [autotag]Isaiah Autry[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Aisosa[/autotag], the Sooners have a class of offensive linemen that are physical and bring some nasty back to the offensive line.

That’s something they’ve been missing the last few years, and something we know Bedenbaugh wants out of his linemen. Combine that with what appears to be a strong work ethic from each, and Oklahoma could have a better offensive line class than many thought initially.

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Oklahoma Sooners receive three predictions for transfer offensive lineman

Oklahoma Sooners could be getting some more good news, this time in the transfer portal.

It’s no secret, the Oklahoma Sooners have a lot of work to do along the offensive line before next season. The Sooners must replace all five starters from this season, although [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] started a few games in 2023.

[autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] are gone. Sexton replaced Guyton at the end of the season due to an injury. Everett played some guard earlier in the year when they were trying to solidify that position before Green took over.

The Sooners brought in [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag], who is the top interior offensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class, according to Rivals. While [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] showed he will play freshmen, we know that’s not what he wants to do.

So, the Sooners have hit the portal hard. They’ve received one commitment, former Michigan State Spartans offensive tackle [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag]. Now, they’ve received three predictions from SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuiston, Michigan State insider Justin Thind and national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn for his running mate at guard, [autotag]Geno VanDeMark[/autotag].

VanDeMark and Brown started on the right side of the line, so they have chemistry playing together. Given Sexton played right tackle, those two could be moved to the left side or they could move Sexton to the left side if VanDeMark were to sign.

Michigan State had an up-and-down season, and so did VanDeMark, although his best games came against his best competition. According to Pro Football Focus, he had pass-blocking grades of 71.7, 76.6, and 86.4 against the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

He definitely is better at pass blocking than run blocking, although he’s solid at that as well. Ultimately, he would bring experience and depth to a depleted offensive line.

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