Tag: Wanya Morris

Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi gushes about Day 2 draft picks

#Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi spoke to media members about Day 2 picks Rashee Rice and Wanya Morris:

One of the best parts of the NFL draft is getting the opportunity to hear from Kansas City Chiefs’ staff members on the personnel side who we don’t get to hear from often.

Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi got a chance to speak to media members about the team’s two selections they made on Day 2. You could really tell that he was enthusiastic about the two skill sets they managed to add to an already impressive group of offensive talent.

“So we had two picks tonight,” Borgonzi began. “(We) felt good about both picks. Two offensive guys, obviously. The first one, Rashee Rice, SMU. You know, explosive, fast‐twitch kid, really good with the ball after the catch – he’s like a running back after the catch. So, he can play inside, he can play outside so coaches will find a way to get him involved in the offense but feel really good about him and then with second pick we took Wanya Morris out of Oklahoma, tackle. You know, (he) played right tackle at Oklahoma and also played, he was at Tennessee before, first couple years and actually played beside Trey Smith playing left tackle. (He’s a) big, long athletic guy that will get in the mix here at tackle. So, excited about both picks.”

On trading up for both players, Borgonzi felt it was simply a matter of going up to get the guys they wanted:

“We have a cluster of guys that we’re looking at and we felt like, (General Manager Brett) Veach just said, ‘Let’s go up and get our guy.’ So I think heading into this night here we were targeting some wide receivers and Rashee was our guy so we went up and got him and that was really it,” Borgonzi said. “And then we got to the third round, and we had a cluster of guys and knew we wanted to get a tackle and Wanya was the guy we were going after.”

Borgonzi continued to answer questions about each player:

What round Oklahoma Football stars have been drafted since 2000

A look back at where each former Oklahoma Sooner was drafted since 2000.

The Oklahoma Sooners had five players selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Led by Anton Harrison’s selection in the first round of the draft, the Sooners had a player in each of the first three rounds of the draft.

Oklahoma’s history of success has led to a rich history of draft picks over the years. Since the year 2000, the Sooners have had 19 players selected in the first round, including three first-overall picks and eight top-10 picks.

The last non-quarterback to be taken in the top 10 of the draft was Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson also represented the last offensive lineman taken in the first round of the draft until Harrison was selected on Thursday night.

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Here’s a look at each Oklahoma Sooners draft pick since the year 2000 and what round each player was taken.

Chiefs’ Day 2 draft picks get Patrick Mahomes’ stamp of approval

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes gave his stamp of approval for the team’s Day 2 draft picks.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes seems to have given his stamp of approval for Brett Veach’s work on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft.

In Round 2, the Chiefs moved up to pick No. 55 to select SMU WR Rashee Rice. Apparently, this is a draft pick that Mahomes had a lot of input on. He had a throwing session with Rice out in Texas ahead of the draft. Rice even got a call from Mahomes shortly after he was drafted.

“I was on hold and it was on TV and Pat (Mahomes) called me,” Rice said. “So, I answered it and told him I’d call him back as soon as I get the call.”

Rice even told reporters that he got a sense that Mahomes might have hand-picked him.

As for new OT Wanya Morris, who the Chiefs traded up for in the third round, Mahomes immediately let his excitement for the pick be known with a tweet.

The feeling of excitement for Morris appears to be mutual.

“I’m excited to be protecting a quarterback like that,” Morris told reporters. “That’s a billion-dollar quarterback.”

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New Chiefs OL Wanya Morris reveals phone call advice from G Trey Smith

Upon being drafted by the #Chiefs, OL Wanya Morris says he got a phone call from his former Tennessee teammate Trey Smith.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a second trade on Friday night of the NFL draft to address another position needing extra depth. A deal with the Cincinnati Bengals jumped general manager Brett Veach into place to add versatile offensive lineman, Wanya Morris, 92nd overall in the third round.

Morris was a teammate with Trey Smith at Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma. During his time alongside Smith was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2019. He maintained a friendship with Smith since and revealed to reporters during his Zoom press conference that the Chiefs starter was one of his first phone calls after being selected.

“He was one of the first people to call me when I got the pick, man. I can’t tell you how good it feels to get those acknowledgments from guys that you see doing great in the league,” Morris said. “And just to know that I’m gonna be right there back with him. You know, we’re gonna start off where we left off. So it’s exciting. It’s exciting. Really excited.”

Morris was visibly emotional talking about Smith’s impact as he took the next step to becoming a professional. Smith offered Morris some advice about what to expect when he joins the team during their phone call.

“Man, he told me to expect work but don’t expect anything. Go in there without any expectations. Go in and just do your job,” Morris said of Smith’s phone call. “Just work, work your ass off, and that’s what I’m finna do. Chief Nation, I’m ready. Let’s do it. Let’s do it!”

Morris is excited to be a member of the Chiefs and ready to compete for a role on the team. Following veteran departures from the offensive line, Morris could play a significant role this year and continue to build off his college chemistry with Smith.

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Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris selected No. 92 overall by Kansas City

Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Wanya Morris is headed to the Kansas City Chiefs.

For the second day of the 2023 NFL draft, an Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman comes off the board. Offensive tackle Wanya Morris was taken in the third round with the No. 92 overall pick by the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It was pretty well known that the Chiefs would be in the market for offensive line help this offseason, and in particular in the NFL draft after losing Orlando Brown in free agency. A multitude of mock drafts projected [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] to go to the Chiefs at the end of the first round. Harrison went No. 27 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So, Wanya Morris becomes a high priority given his pass-blocking prowess and his experience..

Morris transferred to the Sooners in the 2021 offseason after spending the first part of his collegiate career with Tennessee. He struggled to carve out a role in 2021, but became a starter in 2022 and had a strong season, certainly worthy of a top 100 selection.

He’s got just over 1,700 snaps to his ledger and started eight games for Oklahoma in 2022. He was a big part of a breakout rushing performance from Eric Gray.

With the pick, the Kansas City Chiefs get some much-needed reinforcements on the offensive line. With a hole at one of the tackle spots, there’s an opportunity for Wanya Morris to earn a spot right away.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

5 Sooners selected in latest CBS Sports 7-round NFL mock draft

Led by Anton Harrison, five Oklahoma Sooners were selected in CBS Sports’ latest 7-round mock draft.

With the NFL draft starting on Thursday, several Sooners are getting looks in the draft. The two that stand out are offensive lineman Anton Harrison and wide receiver Marvin Mims. Wanya Morris, Eric Gray, and Jalen Redmond will get looks too, and should hear their name called at some point during this weekend.

In Josh Edwards Jr.’s latest mock draft, five Sooners found new homes at the NFL level. One surprise is that tight end Brayden Willis wasn’t considered. Here’s a look at where the five Sooners went in the mock draft.

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5 things we’re watching for at Oklahoma’s spring game

Oklahoma has its spring game this weekend, and we’ve got five things we’ll be looking at for Oklahoma’s spring debut of team 129.

Team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history takes the field publically for the first time on Saturday afternoon. It’s a game and weekend that means a lot to the team, staff, fanbase, and recruits.

Oklahoma comes into this spring off the heels of its worst season in over 20 years. The Sooners were a rough watch at times. Despite that, they still found themselves in a bowl game against a talented Florida State team.

Oklahoma lost the likes of [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] to the NFL Draft process.

The Sooners saw players transfer out but also welcomed in a number of players from their top-five recruiting class. The Sooners attacked the portal with some serious intensity bringing in impact transfers on both sides of the ball.

It’s now time for the world to at least get a glimpse of some of these new Sooners while getting a chance to see how the returning players improved from last year.

Here are our top five storylines heading into the spring game.

1 OT prospect for Colts in each round of NFL draft

Taking a look at OT prospects for the Colts in each round of the draft.

The Indianapolis Colts are just under two weeks away from the start of the 2023 NFL draft where they’ll be looking to add talent and depth to the roster.

While the roster on paper features two starters at the offensive tackle positions in Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith, the Colts likely will enter the draft looking to add some depth and competition to the room. It may come closer to selections later on Day 2 or more likely on Day 3, but the need is there.

It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts added a veteran offensive tackle through free agency ahead of the draft just to bring in some extra competition to the room. As it currently stands, they only have four offensive tackles on the roster in Raimann, Smith, Jordan Murray and Carter O’Donnell.

Following this series of articles, we’ve also looked at these positions:

We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.

Here’s a look at offensive tackle prospects who fits the Colts in each round of the draft:

1 offensive tackle for the Vikings for every round of the 2023 NFL draft

Even though the Minnesota Vikings are set at offensive tackle, you should always be prepared if a talented prospect falls down the board.

The Minnesota Vikings searched for their cornerstone tackles for a long time, and they finally found them in Christain Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. If no unforeseen events occur, they should have their tackle position settled for years to come.

However, the NFL is unpredictable, and injuries can ruin a team’s season. Although the Vikings are not likely to use an early pick on a tackle, it is worth examining the draft class because you never know. Let’s explore one offensive tackle from each round of the draft who may fit well with the Vikings.

‘One of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen’: Tyler Guyton approaching big opportunity the right way

“One of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen.” Bill Bedenbaugh said of Tyler Guyton, who, according to the OL coach is approaching things the right way this offseason.

Every offseason, teams across the country have to figure out how to replace starters that are on their way to the NFL. The Sooners are no different, with [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] expected to be selected in the 2023 NFL draft in a couple of weeks.

One of the answers to that question will be [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag]. Guyton, who transferred from TCU last spring, is expected to man one of the offensive tackle spots. And he’s someone that offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] has high expectations for Guyton despite it being his first year as a starter.

“I don’t have any different expectations,” Bedenbaugh said after practice last week. “I don’t care how old they are. But really, he’s played (offensive line) for three years of his life, and this will be his fourth. He played some tight end before. He was a (defensive end) in high school. So he’s a young o-lineman. He’s a young kid, too. He just hadn’t played.”

Despite his inexperience at the position, Guyton flashed in 2022 in spot starts for the Sooners. His performances provided optimism for what could be a breakout season in 2023 at tackle. And Bedenbaugh’s seen enough to think he’s got a chance to be one of the Sooners’ next great offensive linemen.

“He started, I think, five or six games, but he’s got all the ability in the world,” Bedenbaugh said. “One of the most talented guys I’ve ever seen. And we’ve had some pretty talented guys come through here.”

Some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL are Oklahoma Sooners alums. More specifically, Creed Humphrey and Orlando Brown were coached by Bedenbaugh and had huge impacts for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Humphrey is arguably the best center in the NFL and Brown just received a big contract from the Cincinnati Bengals. And then there’s Anton Harrison, who’s projected to go in the top 40 of the NFL draft.

To be put in that echelon of players, having only played offensive line for a few years, speaks to the talent that Tyler Guyton possesses and the potential to get even better.

And, according to Coach Bedenbaugh, Guyton is approaching this opportunity with the right mindset.

“So it’s just experience. He’s matured. He’s approaching it the right way. He’s preparing the right way. He’s doing things outside of here the right way. And that’s just a growth process. You hope that everybody has it when they come in here. It’s just not reality, you know, and they learned it, and he’s doing it now.”

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.