sports_m-footbl_archive_13_nfl_draft

Six Sooners were taken the the 2013 NFL Draft, marking the 23rd time that at least that many players represented the University of Oklahoma during the event. Offensive tackle Lane Johnson was selected No. 4 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the fourth Sooner in four years to be drafted in the top four. Five Sooners were selected during the third day of the NFL Draft. Check out the complete results, OU's history in the draft and more below:

OKLAHOMA DRAFT TRACKER
	Draft Profile	Team	Round	Pick	Overall Pick
Lane Johnson	Johnson Profile	Philadelphia Eagles	1	4	4
Landry Jones	Jones Profile	Pittsburgh Steelers	4	18	115
Kenny Stills	Stills Profile	New Orleans Saints	5	11	144
Justin Brown	Brown Profile	Pittsburgh Steelers	6	18	186
Stacy McGee	McGee Profile	Oakland Raiders	6	37	205
David King	King Profile	Philadelphia Eagles	7	33	239
Additional Coverage: Social Media Reaction \| All-Time Draft Picks \| Stoops Era \| Draft Notes

Stoops Conference Call Transcript

Coach Stoops on Johnson

"Everybody at the University of Oklahoma is proud of Lane and our other players who have earned an opportunity to compete in the NFL. It doesn't surprise anyone on our staff that Lane was a high first-round selection. Lane worked relentlessly from the moment he stepped on campus and took advantage of every avenue to improve during his time with us.

"While it took a while to find the right position for him to maximize his athletic potential, I have no doubt that he has a huge upside and will only get better with more experience playing tackle. Coach Kittle and Coach Patton did a tremendous job of quickly acclimating him to compete at a high level, while Coach Schmidt and our strength staff did an outstanding job of accelerating his physical development. Lane is a special individual and we'll anxiously follow his progress this fall along with our many other Sooners in the NFL."

Q&A With Lane

Q. Lane, with the offensive line woes last year of the Philadelphia Eagles, do you feel a lot of pressure coming in, having to make an impact quickly?
"I don't. I put the most pressure on myself. I'm going to be a great player, and I do whatever it takes, ready, set, go. I'm excited to go down there tomorrow."

Q. What do you know about the rivalry in the NFC East between the Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins?
"I know the Eagles have the best fans, I know that. I think you can watch Invincible and kind of get a clear picture of what it's like. A lot of great games that they play, a lot of good heated rivalries. So I mean, going in, there's going to be a lot of good games to play in."

Q. Lane, what are you looking forward to as far as read option offense?
"I think just the up tempo and being the first to kind of bring it to the NFL and get that whole thing started."

Q. A lot of buzz about you at the Eagles these past 48 hours; what's their communication been with you?
"Coach actually talked to me this morning, looked a few things over. Had a great vibe with him. We've been keeping in touch. Had a really good vibe coming into the Draft. When Miami was on the clock, I was kind of nervous. I didn't know when I was going there. When Philly came on the phone, I knew I was going there."

Q. Have you been to Philadelphia before?
"Yes, just on the visits just one time."

Q. The city does obsess over its athletes. I grew up there, so I know that it's beyond --is that something that gets you a little nervous? You can't turn on a radio station, and it's almost obsessive, how they do it.
"As an athlete, all you can focus on is what you're doing right now. You can't really control a lot of things. All you can do is do your best and let everything else take care of itself."

Q. In terms of your development, where do you say you are as an offensive tackle now as compared to when you first started? Where do you think you can be in a few years?
"I think a lot better than when I first started. Turn on my first flip of me, my first start against Florida State, you'll see a real raw, unpolished player. I'd only been playing there a few weeks.
Moving forward, I think my best football is ahead of me. I think I've come nowhere close to reaching my full potential. And I think the next few years will be very excited."

Q. The stuff that Chip likes to do, do you think to yourself "I'm a good fit for that"?
"I think so. The fast-paced offense at Oregon fits what we did at Oklahoma, getting close to 100 plays a game. Up tempo stuff in the NFL. I think we're all getting excited for that."

Q. What do you make of that?
"Usually you'll see skill position like quarterbacks go. Tackle is not a very sexy position, but it's a position in dire need. I think, when you have a good, solid offensive line, it really can benefit a team as far as passing the ball and running."

Q. As far as this pre-Draft process, did you think the number four pick was realistic? At the start of the Draft process, did you think the number four pick was realistic for you?
"Not at all. My last game against A&M, a bunch of people saying I was third round. It bumped up a little bit more. A lot more buzz came after the senior bowl. I had a good week there. Then after the combine, it went up a little bit more.

Leading up to now, there's been a lot of mock drafts and high buildup. You can't really pay attention to it because you don't really know what's going to happen?"

Q. Who called you? Howie, Chip?
"I think a scout first, and then Chip got on the phone and talked with me."

Q. Lane, talk about how excited you are to play the spread offense.
"I'm excited. I think Coach Kelly is going to put a potent offense out there. I'm excited to be part of this team and this organization and ready to get started in the next few months."

Q. What do you know about the spread offense? What do you know about it?
"I know it requires a lot of speed and a lot of athletic guys up front to kind of get the job done, and obviously, I think they have very dangerous quarterbacks, Nick Foles and Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Larry Macklin outside. You have dangerous skill positions. When you have guys that can do it up front, I think it helps it out a lot."

Q. Being that you played other positions before, you were an offensive lineman, are you looking forward to special duty on the goal line?
"You never know. I think we talked about it a couple of times, doing some tackle eligible plays, something like that."

Q. For those few minutes there, when the Dolphins traded up, did you think that was going to be you?
"Absolutely. I think my whole family - they got rid of Jake Long. He's with the Rams now. We all were anticipating it was Miami. We were already getting the hugs started kind of deal. And then after they chose Dion Jordan, I knew Philly was on the clock, and I had a really good shot of coming here."

Q. What was it like when it wasn't you and you went with Dion?
"Kind of took your breath away. You're already kind of getting thoughts running through your head what it would be like down in Miami, and after it happens, it's kind of a relief."

Q. Did it make you second guess that the Eagles weren't going to take you after Miami didn't.
"Well, I knew they had a fourth pick, and I was kind of relieved that they had because I had such a good vibe with them."

Q. Who's here with you in New York?
"My whole family pretty much. My wife, my in-laws, my mom and dad. Got my aunt and uncle and grandparents here too."

Landry Jones

Did you expect this at all?
"I have no clue. I was sitting there watching it and talking to my agent Dave Young. We were going back and forth. He thought it would be between me and a couple of guys, and then I got the phone call. I didn't even know what to say. I'm so overwhelmed and so thankful for the Pittsburgh organization for taking a shot on me and picking me up. I'm just excited to get down there."

How do you feel about coming to a place that has an established quarterback who is still in his prime?
"The thing about it is, I am going to go in there and compete as hard as I can and try to win a job. At the end of the day this is going to be a great opportunity for me whether I play quick or whether I have to sit and wait for a couple years. Getting to stand behind Roethlisberger is going to be a huge opportunity for me. He is a guy who has been established in this league for a long time and I get to learn from one of the best quarterbacks to play the game. I'm just really excited to get to work with him and really excited about this opportunity."

Do you know Ben's sister Carlee? She and your wife were on the same team right?
"Yes, they played together for two or three years on the same basketball team so obviously my wife is pretty pumped about this whole deal."

What are some of the other teams that considered drafting you? Are you surprised at maybe some of the other quarterbacks in the draft that were picked in the fourth round as opposed to earlier?
"It was such a weird draft this year for all quarterbacks. I know a lot of guys, and for me, you're expecting to go earlier, but it was a strange draft. At the end of the day, God had everything in his hands and he knew exactly where you were going to place me and couldn't have placed me at a better organization with this team."

You said you thought it was coming down between you and some other guys for this pick. Who were you thinking?
"I really honestly didn't know. All my agent had told me was it was between me and a couple other guys. That was literally what he said. I don't know who else they were thinking about, but I'm really happy that they chose me."

How much contact had you had with the Steelers?
"Honestly none. It's funny, I had more contact with the Bills than anybody else, so I didn't really have much, but like I've been saying, at the end of the day, I was just so excited that they chose me and they picked me out."

Do you see yourself as a starter in this league?
"Yes. Ever since you're a young kid, you do see yourself as a starter. You see yourself winning Super Bowls. You see yourself doing all these different things in the NFL, so I'm just excited about being there and having an opportunity."

Is it a little bit of a disappointment to come to a place with one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he's only 31?
"It's not disappointing at all. I was just happy to get picked up and you have to start your career somewhere. On every single team there's going to be a quarterback that has your job and you're going to go in there, you're going to be respectful and do all these things and compete as hard as you can."

What part of your game do you think is your strength and what part of your game do you think needs the most work?
"I think I have a lot of arm talent and then what needs the most work, mobility. Moving and that sort of thing."

You told Jon Gruden that you're better than RGIII. Can you explain that?
"I mean just as a competitor standpoint. I don't want to go into games saying I'm not able to compete and that I'm not better than anybody. You don't want to go up there, you don't want to be scared of somebody as a competitor. You do think that you're better than anybody that steps on the field. Now is that reality? I don't know, you'll have to play against guys. You'll have to see different things. But from a competitor standpoint, that's the way I've always thought and that's the way I've been taught and raised."

Is [wife] Whitney's career over now?
"Yes. She used up her eligibility. She did get drafted to San Antonio. She won't be cleared to play this year, but she's thinking about doing that next year and you never know. God has a plan for people and for us and for our family on how it's going to work, but right now we're just focused being excited about becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler."

Steelers QB Coach Randy Fichtner

Why the need for a QB now?
"We have had great experience in that room with Charlie and Byron. I just think it was time to start grooming a new player. Freshen up the room if you will."

Re: Replacing Ben in the future?
"I think you always draft that. I don't think that was the thought process."

Tell us about Landry: "Landry is a productive player, a four-year starter playing big football. He has some of the biggest production I've seen out of any of the QBs in several years. He's a guy that still has a lot of upside. He played in the system that is basically one back; he knows the system very well. He's been easily adaptable in meetings that I've spent with him, so he can understand the pro game. That's going to be very exciting."

Re: Ben as a mentor:
"It may be time for Ben to give that experience to somebody else, and to help in the room. I am excited about coaching a young player in the room. There has been a great respect between Byron and Charlie and Ben. I think this gives Ben an opportunity to share his experiences. That is an exciting time. I saw that with Hines when I was in that room."

Does Ben get anything out of that role?
"He's got lot of great experiences, he's been the starter. I think anytime that you are communicating that to others you are reaffirming it to yourself. If it takes you a little bit more time in a room to explain a concept that he understands very well to tell a young guy in the room, that just re-confirms to Ben positive things. I think it is always good when you're talking football anytime whether it's outside the media room or the locker room. I just think it gives you an opportunity with a young guy to do that."

Why Landry over some of the other QBs?
"I don't know if it's one over the other. Landry is a good fit, and we generally stick to our board. So Landry is in a great spot to be here right now. I have always thought of it as who you get, being a college coach I've never worried about the ones that you didn't get or the ones that slipped away. I'm excited about having Landry."

Re: Any point last year that you felt you needed a younger QB in the room?
"I don't know if there was a point where you felt this just wasn't working anymore. They have given us some very good reps here. They have been great compliments to Ben, to me and our offense. So no I don't think that was ever the case. There was never one minute where we decided we had to move forward. I just think it happens."

Re: Differences between Jones and QB Jerrod Johnson from last season:
"At the time Jerrod was here, he was young and developing. He was just getting potentially at full strength. He was a quarterback that came here that was still rehabbing his shoulder. I think, without looking back and saying one or the other, you look at it and say it wasn't the right time, and it wasn't time to move Charlie [Batch] or Byron [Leftwich] out. Sometimes timing changes every year."

Was this your one year to make a pro day appearance?
"No, because coach Tomlin's been great. Whether I was coaching receivers or quarterbacks, we've always gone out. And they push out so you can be making comparisons and building a library. To me, that's one of the unique things we do. Whether we're in play for a quarterback or whether we're in play for a defensive back, we get a chance to go out and work guys and get a chance to keep comparing, to keep putting guys in perspective where you might see them. How do you feel they rank. And also when you get a chance to get out and visit with guys, you get to see them in their environment. You get to evaluate that. You get to talk to them on your terms and things that you might do, concepts that we might do. How do they adjust to that? I know in this case, I was able to be at Oklahoma's workout. I was able to see and visit with their offensive coordinator, their head coach, who are all friends of mine. I've been at clinics there before with them. Hear what they have to say and see how this youngster has developed in their system. They've had him the whole time. Josh Heupel, his position coach and coordinator, was a very good player in college football too and he loves this kid. But it was easy to see because when you're around them, everyone does and he has some background in Pittsburgh here in general. His wife Whitney played basketball with Ben's sister Carlee and they had been friends and I believe Carlee was in their wedding last summer."

Related Content:

Jones Pro Day Highlights

Kenny Stills

Have the Saints shown any interest in you before the draft?
"Not that I know of, my agent dealt with most of that stuff. I definitely didn't expect New Orleans to pick me when they were on the clock, so when I got a call from them I was definitely excited and wasn't expecting it."

What are your thoughts about coming down here and playing with guys like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Lance Moore?
"It's amazing. In high school I caught some passes from Drew Brees when he was in San Diego, so I know what he is capable of. I watch him every year in the NFL. It's a prolific offense and a huge opportunity for me to go in and play with veterans, learn and be a sponge."

Who called you when the Saints picked you?
"I talked to everyone, I talked to Coach (Sean) Payton, Mickey Loomis and pretty much everyone. They were all congratulating me and I tried to hold in all my excitement."

What were the circumstances when you were in high school and you got to throw with Drew Brees?
"He was playing for the San Diego Chargers still and they just needed extra bodies to go catch balls at one of the local high schools, so I was one of the receivers they called and caught some passes from him."

I understand you had another year of eligibility and that you were advised that you wouldn't go any better than the third round and you went in the fifth, any regrets?
"No regrets at all, I have a strong faith in my plan and God's plan for me was to go in the fifth round and I am where I am because of that and all I have to do is go to work now and prove people wrong, all the people that doubted me and I love it. I love being the underdog."

Watching the draft last night, were you anticipating going in the third round?
"I have a pessimistic outlook on a lot of things so I told my family I didn't expect to go yesterday and I spent some time at the beach hanging out with friends. Today, I figured, today is the day with the rest of the rounds coming around, so I sat by the TV and I have my family here and it's just exciting for all of us."

The Saints have a number of guys whose fathers have played in the NFL, how do you think that helps you and do you think the Saints like having players with the NFL in the bloodlines?
"I think it's the understanding we have about the business. We know how we have to treat it, we have to come in and work our tails off every single day and nothing less is expected from us."

Growing up around the NFL, was this something you envisioned for a long time?
"Since age six, when I started playing football, I dreamed of playing in the NFL especially being that my dad played and it was almost that we were in competition. Obviously he played defense, but for me to make it, get drafted, and get drafted before him, now I just have to go out there and prove myself and have a great career."

Your uncle also played linebacker in the NFL, is that correct?
"Yes, Gary Stills."

How did you end up playing offense?
"I wanted to play defense, but coming out of high school I weighed 170 pounds, was a safety and didn't get recruited much at safety because they didn't use me much in high school at it. I came in as a receiver as a freshman, worked on my craft and I feel like it's something that I ran with."

How much do you feel like you can compete for playing time this season?
"You can never really say anything right to answer that question, but I'm going to go out there and work my tail off everyday. I'm going to be the first one in the building and the last one to leave and if things work out, I'll be out there playing. Obviously I want to do everything I can to help make an impact on the field. If not I will have to learn and when my time comes I have to be ready."

What did you think of Drew Brees when you threw with him in high school?
"Definitely one of the best quarterbacks I have worked with and been around. I can remember hearing the ball whistle coming from his hands to my hands and just smacking me in the hands. I expect and have seen such great things from Drew Brees and I'm excited to be around him, learn as much as I can and go out there and get open for him."

Have you had any interaction with him since you threw for him in high school?
"No, I work out at the same place he does with Todd Durkin here in San Diego, so I hear a lot of great things about him, like who he is as a person off the field, but I haven't had any interaction with him besides that day."

Did you think he was good before that?
"Oh yes, it's always been a thing around here in San Diego with us getting rid of Drew Brees, or letting him go has been one of the worst things we have done, but Phillip Rivers is good too. I knew he was great and it just proved to me that day even more."

What are some of your biggest strengths?
"Strengths for me are speed, I proved people wrong with my 40-time, I think on the tape you see a guy that can run smooth, so you don't necessarily think that he is fast, but the speed and the route running and the competitiveness, all of them are probably my strengths technique wise."

Justin Brown

Are you happy to go to a team that just drafted your quarterback?
"After I found out Landry was going I was excited. Then I got the call an hour or two later and I was pretty excited about that."
Did you guys have a pretty good rapport at Oklahoma?
"Landry welcomed me the moment I stepped on campus so we definitely had a good rapport from day one."

Re: Steelers have been looking for a tall receiver:
"I'm excited to get there and start working with Coach Mann and the other receivers."

If you stayed at Penn State do you feel you would be in this position right now?
"Who knows, I think everything happens for a reason and the things I learned at Penn State definitely helped me out. Everything happens for a reason and I learned a lot from both schools."

What made you leave in the first place?
"Just the opportunity that presented itself, to go down and play with a good team like Oklahoma and a good quarterback in Landry Jones and another great receiver in Kenny Stills."

Is this the round you expected to go?
"Yeah, actually in the whole process last year I didn't even have a draft day at all. So the fact that I was drafted at all is a blessing. So I am just excited."

Steelers WR Coach Richard Mann

Tell us what you like about Brown:
"We brought him in last week I believe. I just feel really good about what I saw on tape. I am a big film guy. He is a big guy. He transferred from Penn State after three years. He is very productive, that tells you something about the guy. I think he has good toughness and that's part of being a good receiver. He'll lock up downfield and I think that is a part of it also. On top of it all, he's a good receiver. He can catch the football. Big target."
Were you looking for a bigger guy?
"When you have the guys we have, we think we have a good receiving core. In my opinion, I think you try not to get all the same. I think he will come in and he's a guy that is primed for the strong side. He is a big guy who can lock up on the safeties and dig them out when it's colder up here and we have to run it. He's a guy we can put in and help with our running game."

You have brought in two young receivers. Do you feel good about where you are at with receivers?
"From what I have seen, I don't know them that well. I know we have some good receivers. The thing I'm going to look for is where we play the guys to get the most out of them. Some guys are body types to dictate and play the weak side, some are strong side and some guys are good at playing the inside slot. I think the inside is a special place. Everyone cannot play it. I think with Todd [Haley] and Coach Tomlin, we will sit down and figure that out and put them where we can get the most out of them."

Re: Coach Haley talking about moving Markus Wheaton to different spots:
"I think we can move him around and the one thing that he has is juice. That's what you have to take advantage of. I've seen him play the strong side, but we all know that he's slightly built and he'll be productive and we just have to game plan and decide what position we want to put him in. But he's a guy who's very versatile. We say that because we've seen it on tape."

Do you have to adapt to Haley's style or do you bring your own concepts in?
"I've been around the track a little bit. Usually there isn't too much that I haven't seen. What I have to get used to is the verbiage. A lot of the same concepts, but they call them different names. I think that's the biggest thing. A lot of people don't realize that Coach Haley and I were together from years ago from when we first started. So a lot of what he believes in, I believe in it and a lot of what he does, I've seen it before and my biggest thing is in this room asking, "What does this mean?" So I can take it and get a comparison because like I've said, everybody copycats. Most I've done, I just have to turn the words over."

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Brown Pro Day Highlights

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Wort Pro Day Highlights

Category	Value	Big 12 Rank (OTs only)
% of Team Snaps*	80%	30
Successful Plays	439	21
Holding Penalties	0	T-1

Season	G-GS	Comp.	Att.	Pct.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Int.	Long	Eff.
2009	13-10	261	449	58.1	3,198	246.0	26	14	67	130.8
2010	14-14	405	617	65.6	4,718	337.0	38	12	86	146.3
2011	13-13	355	562	63.2	4,463	343.3	29	15	64	141.6
2012	13-13	367	555	66.1	4,267	328.2	30	11	76	144.6
Career	53-50	1,388	2,183	63.6	16,646	314.1	123	52	86	141.5

Category	No.	Nat'l Rank
Yards	4277	2
Air Yards	2286	2
Successful Play*	57%	3
Adjusted Completion*	63%	4
True Completion*	73%	11

	Player	School	No.
1	Nick Florence	Baylor	2513
2	Landry Jones	OKLAHOMA	2286
3	Mike Glennon	N.C. State	2279
4	Seth Doege	Texas Tech	2191
5	Aaron Murray	Georgia	2165

	Player	School	Pct.
1	Seth Doege	Texas Tech	59%
2	Tajh Boyd	Clemson	57%
3	Landry Jones	OKLAHOMA	57%
4	EJ Manuel	Florida State	57%
5	Geno Smith	West Virginia	56%

Season	G-GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
2010	14-14	61	786	12.9	5	59
2011	11-11	61	849	13.9	8	58
2012	13-13	82	959	11.7	11	68
Career	38-38	204	2,594	12.7	24	68

Category	Value	National Rank (WRs only)
Targets	124	12
Air Yards	709	8
Clutch Receptions*	61	4
Downfield Yards*	919	14
Red Zone Targets	26	1
Red Zone Receptions	17	3

	Player	School	Recs.
1	Stedman Bailey	West Virginia	22
2	Darrin Moore	Texas Tech	21
3	Kenny Stills	OKLAHOMA	17
4	Markus Wheaton	Oregon State	16

Season	G-GS	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long	PR	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long
2009*	10-0	5	78	15.6	0	27	7	41	5.9	0	20
2010*	13-13	33	452	13.7	1	45	15	77	5.1	0	15
2011*	13-13	35	517	14.8	2	69	27	220	8.1	0	33
2012	13-13	73	879	12.0	5	46	22	299	13.6	1	90
Career	49-39	146	1,926	13.2	8	69	71	637	9.0	1	90

Rank	Player	School	Recs.
1	Stedman Bailey	West Virginia	22
2	Darrin Moore	Texas Tech	21
3	Kenny Stills	Oklahoma	17
4	Markus Wheaton	Oregon State	16
5	Alec Lemon	Syracuse	12
6	Antavian Edison	Purdue	11
	Ryan Swope	Texas A&M	11
8	Justin Brown	OKLAHOMA	10
	Robert Woods	USC	10
	Eric Ward	Texas Tech	10

Season	G-GS	UT	AT	Total	Loss	Sacks	INT	FC	FR	PBU
2009	2-0	0	1	1	0.0-0	0.0-0	0	0	0	0
2010	14-11	15	11	26	3.5-10	0.0-0	0	0	0	0
2011	12-4	8	14	22	3.5-16	1.5-14	0	0	0	0
2012	6-0	6	8	14	2.5-7	1.0-6	0	0	0	0
Career	34-15	29	34	63	9.5-33	2.5-20	0	0	0	0

Season	G-GS	UT	AT	Total	TFL	Sacks	Int.	FC	FR	PBU
2010	12-9	33	33	66	7.5-44	4.5-38	0	0	0	0
2011	12-12	36	35	71	4.5-28	3.5-24	2-17	0	1-22	2
2012	13-12	27	26	53	5.5-26	2.0-15	0	2	0	1
Career	37-33	96	94	190	17.5-98	10.0-77	2-17	2	1-22	3

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