Dallas Cowboys New Rookie Tight End, James Hanna

After the first three players were selected in rounds 2-3, the Sooners had a productive NFL draft day on Saturday. Strangely enough, Detroit seems to be on the radar for quickly becoming a Sooner fans favorite.

In the second round, Ryan Broyles was drafted to Detroit and the Lions later drafted linebackers Ronnell Lewis (4th) and Travis Lewis (7th). They also picked up Sam Proctor after the draft in free agency. So that’s 4 Sooners heading to Detroit together.

The Dallas Cowboys drafted tight end James Hanna in the 6th round. Hanna, like Donald Stephenson who went to Kansas City, gets a chance to play in front of a hometown crowd. Hanna is rom Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth.  DE Frank Alexander was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 4th round. And as I mentioned on Saturday, Jamell Fleming is headed to Arizona.

After the 2012 NFL Draft, the Sooners have had players drafted in 75 of the 77 drafts, missing only 1962 and 1995. The only 2 schools close are Notre Dame with 74 and USC with 72. Bob Stoops has sent 59 players to the NFL. The only NFL team in history to not draft a Sooner is the Houston Texans.

Fun Draft facts from SoonerSports.com:

*Since the first NFL draft in 1936, 357 Sooners overall have been selected.

*Oklahoma’s 357 all-time picks rank OU first in the Big 12 and fourth overall nationally.

*Forty-two Sooners have been selected in the first round (including a program-record four in 2010).

*OU has three overall No. 1 picks: Sam Bradford (2010), Billy Sims (1980) and Lee Roy Selmon (1976).

*OU’s Brian Bosworth was the No. 1 pick in the 1987 supplemental draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

*OU supplied the first overall No. 1 pick (Sam Bradford, 2010) in Big 12 Conference history.

*The first Sooner ever drafted was All-American J.W. “Dub” Wheeler by the Packers in 1936.

Congrats to all the players who made it to the next level. The real work is about to begin! Boomer Sooner

The first Sooner to come off the board last night was WR Ryan Broyles to the Detroit Lions. The Lions have a history of drafting Sooners, with Broyles being the 18th player from Oklahoma all-time. The Lions got a complete workhorse in Broyles, who has been in rehab since his knee injury after the Texas A&M game.

Despite the injury coming mid-season, Broyles still was a:  Walter Camp First Team All-American, first team All-Big 12 by coaches,  second team All-Big 12 by AP,  honorable mention all-purpose by AP. He ranks second in NCAA history with 4,586 career receiving yards and owns 10 Oklahoma records: receptions in a game (15), season receptions (131), career receptions (349), receiving yards in a game (217), season receiving yards (1,622), career receiving yards (4,586), season TD receptions (15), career touchdown receptions (45), season 100-yard games (10) and career 100-yard games (45)  He is the Big 12 career leader in receptions, receving yards and receiving TDs . Had a reception in 48 consecutive games,  has 22 plays of 40+ yards in his career and had over 100 yards in seven of nine games. Broyles had TDs in seven of nine games including four with multiple TDs.  He had four games with at least 13 receptions and broke his own single game record with 217 receiving yards at Kansas. Beast.

OT Donald Stephenson was next to go, he went to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 3rd round. Stephenson is a KC transplant, so he is getting to go play in front of a hometown crowd. Stephenson impressed scouts and this past season, he was part of an offensive line that only gave up 11 sacks. He was an honorable mention in the All-Big XII by AP coaches.

Head coach Bob Stoops on Stephenson’s time as a Sooner:

Donald’s career was a crescendo. His productivity got a little better with each game and his last two years in our program were particularly productive. We take a lot of pride in the way we protect our quarterbacks, and Donald had great responsibility while playing left tackle last season. He grew into that role and handled it well for us. I think he’ll continue to grow as a professional.

The third of the Sooners to go on Day 2 was DB Jamell Fleming to the Arizona Cardinals. Fleming ability will make him an asset to Cardinals right off the bat. In 2011, Fleming made the All-Big 12 first team by AP and coaches and was second on the team with 10 passes broken up. He had a career-high 13 tackles and two tackles for loss vs. Texas also stripped and returned a fumble 56 yards at Texas for his second career TD. Fleming was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the performance in that game. Due to injury, he didn’t  suit up vs. Texas Tech or Kansas State. He forced two turnovers vs. Texas A&M, forcing and recovering a fumble in the second quarter while picking off a pass in the third quarter. He was named the Insight Bowl Defensive MVP after finishing with seven tackles, three pass breakups and one interception.

There are several Sooners still left on the board, who SHOULD be going on Saturday, one being Ronnell Lewis. I would think Frank Alexander will be going earlier on Saturday as well.

Stay tuned, Sooner Nation!

Travis Lewis and Frank Alexander photo credit: Getty Images

Starting tonight, the lives of 10 Sooners could change drastically. The NFL Draft has finally arrived, and we get to see what NFL teams we will have to semi-tolerate due to picking up a member of the Sooner Nation.

During the Bob Stoops Era at Oklahoma, 52 players have been drafted, with 98 players actually entering the League. Out of the 350 players Oklahoma has sent to the NFL Draft, 42 were selected in the 1st round. Oklahoma has the fourth-highest total of players entering the draft out of all the schools.

Sooners who are waiting for the possible phone calls of a lifetime include: Stephen Good, Sam Proctor, Jamell Fleming, Ryan Broyles, Frank Alexander, James Hanna, Ronnell Lewis, Travis Lewis, James Winchester and Donald Stephenson.

A couple of those names are most likely going to enter Free Agency before landing with a team, but at least seven (by my count) will get put on a team immediately.

Some NFL.com analysis on players who most likely will get selected:

Frank Alexander – Positives- Alexander is a lengthy athlete and uses his arms well against the run. He sheds blocks well, is instinctual from a three-point stance or standing up, and is a natural player on the edge. He can make plays once in the backfield and is a solid all-around edge prospect. His energy and work ethic would be good for any team looking to add versatility to their rotation. Negatives – He struggles when double-teamed. He might be a better fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme; Takes time to get back on track when stopped due to his size.

Jamell Fleming – Positives - Prototypical athlete and great on man coverage. His speed and ability to backpedal is a plus in his coverage. When the ball is in the air he has the body control to turn and make a play on it. He has the speed to catch up to receivers if beat and the ability to run down plays from the backside or provide help in zone. Negatives -  At the next level, he will need to work on his technique when using his hands and feet to jam receivers and turn at the line of scrimmage. He can be undisciplined in various aspects of his play, but it usually hurts him more in zone coverage than it does in man, where he is a natural cover corner.

Ryan Broyles – Positives – As all of Sooner Nation knows, Broyles is a workhorse. He may be smaller, but can get off the line of scrimmage well when given a free release, or if he has the chance to use a jab step, and can get upfield quickly. He can make catches across the middle but is most effective in space or when covered man-to-man, showing an uncanny ability to get open. An incredible catcher, he can move his body in any way necessary to get whatever is thrown his way.  Based on his consistent production in the Big 12 and Oklahoma, his overall football savvy and his athletic ability, Broyles should be able to smoothly and quickly transition to the NFL. Negatives – Size.  If cornerbacks get their hands on him at the line, he can struggle to break away and get into his route. He worked with a relatively basic route tree at Oklahoma, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to an NFL system. The injury he suffered at the end of the 2011 season may limit his already average straight-line speed, and could raise concerns about his durability.

» Continue reading “Sooners And The NFL Draft: Waiting For The Phone Call Of A Lifetime”

Wednesday was Pro Day in Norman and several Sooners got a chance to show the NFL scouts what they are made of.

Ryan Reynolds

It was good to see Ryan Reynolds, who played for the Sooners from 2005-2009. Reynolds, a linebacker, suffered several knee injuries during his Sooner career. In 2009 after the NCAA denied his request to come back for a 6th year, he stated he was not interested in continuing his football career in the NFL. He had a change of heart, and today looked to be in great shape.

Cameron Kenney, another former Sooner from the class of 2010, also performed today for the scouts. if you don’t remember, Kenney was a JUCO WR transfer from Garden City CC and was ranked the No. 3 JUCO WR and No. 16 JUCO player in the Nation by Rivals.com in 2007.

If you are wondering who Jesse Bell is, you are looking in the wrong place. Honestly, I have never heard of the guy before Sooner Pro day. And when I researched him to find some stats or more information. All I found out was that he was a DB.

From the footage that I actually got to watch, it looked like Travis Lewis improved some since the combine; still wasn’t stellar, though. Dejuan Miller had a decent day along with Sam Proctor and James Winchester. As expected, several Sooners did not participate in the drills, like Ryan Broyles and Donald Stephenson.

The NFL draft is coming up April 26-28 and for these Sooner hopefuls, it’s now a waiting game.

Official stats from SoonerSports.com

Over the weekend, some of the Sooners impressed in Indianapolis at the NFL combine. Tight End, James Hanna posted the fastest 40-yard dash time out of anyone else in the position. Offensive tackle, Donald Stephenson accomplished the same feat. I was able to keep up with the action quickly from the speed of the new Droid Razr, which Verizon sent to me for being a part of their Ambassadors program.

Ryan Broyles had the 2nd most repetitions on the bench press out of all the wide receivers with 21.  Ronnell Lewis came out on top of all the linebackers with 36 reps.

Monday was linebackers and defensive lineman, including Ronnell Lewis, Frank Alexander and Travis Lewis. Tuesday, Jamell Fleming made a major impact on several NFL scouts: Fleming ran the 40 in 4.43 secs and had 23 reps on the bench press, the most in the CB position.

They now Fleming projected as a round 2 pick with a rating of 83.5, which is in the “Eventual Starter” category.

A quality player who will contribute to the team early on and is expected to develop into a starter. A reliable player who brings value to the position.

What they are saying about Fleming:

Jamell Fleming

Fleming lines up in the boundary for Oklahoma and has a great combination of size, speed and technique that makes him a premier prospect at corner. His speed and athletic ability allow him to recover quickly off the line of scrimmage. He can get caught looking at the quarterback at times, but he usually can stay with receivers in man coverage. He is a physical and explosive athlete who can jam receivers and bring down running backs with ease. Fleming has played at a high level for the past four years and projects to start early at the next level as a second-round selection.

The Sooners have announced the rosters for this Saturday’s Annual Spring Game. Which Team do you want to see the most?

Red Team

Quarterbacks

Drew Allen, Cayden Cochran, Ben Sherrad, Kendal Thompson

Running Backs

Brennan Clay, Roy Finch, Brandon Williams

Fullbacks

David Driskell, David Welchert

Receivers

Ryan Caro, Sheldon McClain, Dejuan Miller, Jaz Reynolds, Kenny Stills

Tight Ends

Austin Haywood

Offensive Tackles

Jake Reed, Donald Stephenson, Tyrus Thompson

Guards/Centers

Tyler Evans, Ben Habern, Drew Serruto, Adam Shead

Defensive Tackles

Eric Humphrey, Torrea Peterson, Casey Walker

Defensive Ends

David King, Chuka Ndulue, R.J. Washington

Linebackers

Jaydan Bird, Austin Box, Aaron Franklin,Donald Franklin, Erik Lee, Travis Lewis,Corey Nelson

Defensive Backs

Jesse Bell, Beau Davis, Quentin Hayes, James Haynes, Demontre Hurst, Tony Jefferson, Gabe Lynn, Zach Montana, Sam Proctor, Dillon Schooley, Elijah Sigler , Julian Winters

Kickers/Punters

Patrick O’Hara, Jimmy Stevens

Deep Snapper

Kelton Miller

» Continue reading “Is it the Red or the White? Spring Game Roster Announced”