Oklahoma football: 5 most underrated players in Oklahoma Sooners history

Curtis Lofton was an All-American linebacker for the Sooners.

Curtis Lofton grew up in the central part of the state in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Naturally, the blue-chip prospect stayed in state to play his college ball for former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. Lofton arrived on campus in 2005. By the time he left three years later in 2007, he was a consensus All-American.

Lofton played sparingly as a freshman in 2005 and slightly more than that as a sophomore in 2006. What happened in 2007 helped catapult him up draft boards heading into 2008. Lofton had 157 total tackles during his junior season with 10.5 of them going for a loss of yardage. He also had three interceptions for 71 yards and a touchdown during that season.

This helped Lofton earn First-Team All-American honors, a First-Team All-Big 12 nod and be named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. After that incredible junior season, Lofton declared for the 2008 NFL Draft. He would be a second-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons, where he would spend half of his eight-year NFL career.

Lofton never missed a game in his eight NFL season with the Falcons, the New Orleans Saints and the then-Oakland Raiders. He retired after the 2015 NFL season with nearly 1,000 combined tackles in 128 career games. Though a high-end starter for the Falcons and Saints, Lofton’s best football season remains the one he had in college as a junior at Oklahoma.