Spencer Rattler and the 5 best Oklahoma NFL Draft prospects to watch this year

3. Austin Stogner, Tight end

In eight games before a serious leg injury last season, Stogner had 26 catches for 422 yards (16.2 yards per catch) with three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus graded him top-5 among all FBS tight ends in receiving grade, yards per route run and percentage of targets with a 15-plus yard gain in 2020. When lined up against a cornerback, PFF gave him the second-best grade among tight ends (2021 No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts was first).

At 6-foot-6 and pushing 260 pounds with downfield ability, Stogner is a mismatch nightmare waiting to happen. NFL scouts might like to see him be a force as a blocker, but as long as he’s healthy the Sooners’ No. 1 tight end is lined up for a full breakout in 2021.

2. Kennedy Brooks, running back

Brooks opted out of last season due to COVID-19 concerns, so he might be easy to forget about off-hand. He topped 1,0000 yards on the ground as a freshman (2018) and a sophomore (2019), with a career yards per carry average of 7.5 and 18 career rushing touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus was high on Brooks’ work over the 2018 and ’19 campaigns, grading him as the third-best ball carrier in FBS over that span with a higher rate of 10-plus yard carries than anyone (23.4 percent). He does not have elite top-end speed, but his combination of patience, vision and power makes it easy to draw comparisons to peak Le’Veon Bell.

1. Spencer Rattler, quarterback

Spencer Rattler became the Sooners’ starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman last year. All he did was lead the Big 12 in passing yards (3,031), touchdowns (28), yards per attempt (9.6) and adjusted yards per attempt (10.6) along with six rushing scores.

After throwing five interceptions in a three-game stretch last season, including Oklahoma’s two losses, Rattler threw just two interceptions over the final seven games (188 pass attempts). The Sooners also ran off an eight-game winning streak after an early October loss to Iowa State.

Rattler is on a trajectory that could land him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. When it comes down to it, top-5 overall might be the floor.

Other 2022 Oklahoma draft prospects to watch in 2021: RB Eric Gray, OT Wanya Morris, DT Jalen Redmond, LB David Ugwoegbu, DL Isaiah Thomas, LB Caleb Kelly, LB Brian Asamoah