[mm-video type=video id=01fd8hs0ys28fhvpe5z6 playlist_id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fd8hs0ys28fhvpe5z6/01fd8hs0ys28fhvpe5z6-49f9986c34bd4f542234c92f6b1c2232.jpg]
With the NFL preseason underway, that means the regular season is just around the corner. There are plenty of former Oklahoma Sooners looking for big seasons during the 2021 campaign.
Players such as Kyler Murray and CeeDee Lamb played big in Norman and put huge rookie years in the NFL. Though they performed well in 2020, neither made the list for the top 101 players according to Touchdown Wire.
However, three players who wore Crimson and Cream did make the cut, starting with a playmaking tight end.
Mark Andrews, Tight End: No. 84
Andrews is heading into his fourth season with the Baltimore Ravens, and he joins plenty of former Oklahoma Sooners on the team. In three seasons, Andrews has appeared in 45 games with just nine starts. During that time, he has 156 receptions for 2,105 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Not just productive in terms of yards and touchdowns, Andrews averages a first down every 1.4 receptions in his career. He keeps the chains moving for the Ravens’ offense. The former Sooner is also a good blocker which keeps him on the field and doesn’t give defenses any indication of what is coming.
What Touchdown Wire Says…
If you are going to be a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, you need to have the complete tool-kit.
That is why Mark Andrews appears so high on this list. The Ravens are one of the teams in the league that relies the most on multiple-TE packages, running 22 offensive personnel (two tight ends) on 16% of their snaps, the highest percentage in the league. That tasks Andrews with not only being a factor in the passing game, but also handling the variety of blocking assignments in Baltimore’s offense.
Next, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback