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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Six Sooners Selected in 2015 NFL Draft
May 04, 2015 | Football
The University of Oklahoma had six players tabbed in this year's NFL Draft with numerous others already signing free agent contracts. ?The six players were the most of any team in the Big 12 this year. Dating back to the initial NFL Draft in 1936,?337 Sooners have been selected.?No current member of the Big 12 Conference owns more all-time picks with only three teams in the nation owning more selections. Oklahoma has gone 13 straight years under head coach Bob Stoops with three or more Sooners being drafted.
VideoNT JORDAN PHILLIPS
MIAMI DOLPHINS
2nd ROUND (52nd OVERALL)
Jordan Phillips was the first Oklahoma player off the board, heading off to play for head coach Joe Philbin and the Miami Dolphins. The big nose tackle was thrilled with the opportunity to start his NFL career with the Dolphins.
“I was too excited,”?Phillips said in a conference call with South Florida reporters. “I?thought I was going to be in Miami the whole time, that's what I've been telling everybody. I'm just happy they gave me the opportunity and had enough confidence in me to pick me.?
“Me and Coach (Terrell) Williams, we just hit it off very well. He had a lot of confidence in me and he was just really honest with me and I was just really excited that I thought I was going to get a chance to work with him.”
Phillips served as the anchor in OU's 3-4 defense that was one of the best units against the run in the country. His ability to take up space and attract double teams paid big dividends for the Sooners in 2014, as the Crimson and Cream allowed just 106.4 rush yards per game to rank eighth in the nation.
OU Head Coach Bob Stoops thinks Phillips has all the necessary makeup to be a really good player in the NFL for years to come.
“Jordan has that rare combination of size, strength and quickness that's tough to find,” said Stoops. “He was consistently one of the first guys that NFL scouts asked about when they visited OU, and with good reason. He's a young man with plenty of potential who is going to continue getting better.”
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock echoed Stoops in the amount of upside Phillips brings to the Dolphins.
"Phillips has first-round ability all over him,” said Mayock. “He can dominate at the point of attack. He controls the run game. He reminds me of Terrance Knighton.”
With the recent acquisition of perennial Pro Bowler Ndamukong Suh, the Dolphins now have one of the deepest and most athletic defensive lines in the NFL. Phillips will have an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the best players in the game at the position.
VideoDE GENEO GRISSOM
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
3rd ROUND (97TH OVERALL)
Geneo Grissom heard his name called in round three and he could not have landed in a better spot, as the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, selected the edge rusher. Grissom was thankful for the opportunity that the Patriots gave him.
“Thank you so much,” said Grissom. “It's a blessing. I'm very excited for the opportunity. I just want to thank Robert Kraft and Coach [Bill] Belichick for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. This is a great opportunity and I can't wait to get to Foxborough.”
The Patriots are known for taking big, athletic players who can fill multiple roles on the field and plugging them in at different positions. Grissom is another versatile piece that Belichick will be able to deploy in a number of ways.
“He has good playing strength, runs well,” said Belichick. “This year, it looked like (OU) had more depth on the defensive line, and they moved him to outside linebacker, so both last year and this year, on third down, he played end and then also bumped inside to an inside-rusher position.
“He's rushed inside, he's rushed outside. He's played anywhere from the end of the line, five-technique, defensive end in a 4-3, outside linebacker in a 3-4.”
Stoops also stressed versatility, size and athleticism when talking about Grissom, as well as his ability to make big, game-changing plays.
“We've seen Geneo make plenty of big plays for us, and he has the ability to do that at the next level,” said Stoops. “He's got versatility and that huge wingspan allows him to work in space in addition to rushing the passer.”
Another thing that caught the eye of Belichick and the Patriots was the fact that Grissom also was able to lineup at tight end during his time with the Sooners. Belichick has been known in the past to get creative with his players and occasionally line them up on both sides of the ball in certain situations, although the head coach insists they did not draft him to play tight end.
“No, we're not trying to make him a tight end, but his workout as a tight end is about as good of a tight end workout?as we saw all year,” Belichick said. “I mean, this guy can run, he can catch. If you didn't know he didn't play tight end, you would look at that workout and say ?that's a pretty good tight end.'”
VideoOT DARYL WILLIAMS
CAROLINA PANTHERS
4TH ROUND (102nd OVERALL)
The wait was longer than anticipated, but Daryl Williams was relieved to see his name being called on Sunday by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the draft. The Panthers obviously coveted Williams, as the team traded three picks to move up and select the Sooner. Williams described himself as a hard-nosed player who is ready to help the Panthers.
“I'm nasty, I'm a road-grader, I'm technically sound,” said Williams in a conference call. “So hopefully my assets could help the Panthers out.”
The Panthers were thrilled to have the massive offensive tackle become available in the fourth round and were sure to not let anyone else select him. Carolina traded their fourth (No. 124), fifth (161) and seventh-round picks (242) to move up 22 spots in the fourth round to get Williams.
"Daryl is big, he's powerful and he's got good enough athletic ability," Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said. "He's exactly what we are looking for. We had a third-round value on him. He was too good to pass up."
Williams was a key piece in one of the best offensive lines in the country during the 2014 season. The Sooners were the only team in the nation to allow fewer than 10 sacks, yielding just nine sacks. The Crimson and Cream front five also helped the Sooners rank 10th in the country in rushing, averaging 261.2 yards per game.
"He's large," head coach Ron Rivera said. "He's a road grader. He's physical at the point of attack and when he gets his hands on people, he tends to lock them up. For what we want to do and how we want to run the football, he'll fit very nicely."
Stoops believes the Panthers are not only getting a strong tackle but also a great leader.
“I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a right tackle in this draft who is stronger or more competitive than Daryl. He's tough and tenacious. Our staff really appreciated how he embraced a leadership role last season. He'll make any offensive line better in a hurry.”
VideoTE BLAKE BELL
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
4TH ROUND (117TH OVERALL)
One year after deciding to make the switch from quarterback to tight end, it is safe to say the decision has paid off for Blake Bell, as the former Sooner was selected in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. Despite playing just one season at the position, Bell is feeling more at ease in the role of tight end.
"I'm feeling really comfortable,” said Bell in a teleconference. “It's one of those things that, it's becoming a lot easier as the season went on and that's what was nice. It's just kind of repetition. When you haven't done something for that long, it's all about just getting reps and getting used to the switch.
“It went good. It all went back to me making a switch. A lot of people thought that OU or somebody wanted to do it for me. And I said ?No, no. That was my decision.' So, ever since I switched, I haven't looked back. And I'm just excited about it."
Blake won't be the first in the Bell lineage to line up at the tight end position in the NFL, as his father Mark, also played the position, along with defensive end, in the league.
“The big deal was, my dad played tight end in college and in the NFL and we kind of sat down and talked about quarterback and different ways maybe to transfer and stuff,” said Bell. “One thing was ?hey, what about playing tight end.' I was like, ?I've actually thought about that a lot and I think it's a good idea.'”
Stoops thinks Bell's physical tools and mental makeup will allow the Wichita, Kan., native to keep improving at the position in the NFL.
“Blake has a big upside as he continues to learn the finer points of playing tight end. He's smart, he's tough and he's athletic, plus he has excellent hands and will work hard to continue improving.”
VideoOT TYRUS THOMPSON
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
6TH ROUND (185TH OVERALL)
Tyrus Thompson was the second offensive lineman taken in the 2015 NFL Draft, as the Pasadena, Texas, native was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round on Saturday. Like Williams, his OU teammate taken before him, Thompson was disappointed with how long it took for a team to choose him but is excited for his opportunity to play at the highest level.
"I expected to go a little bit higher than that,” Thompson said. “But, at the same time, I'm grateful to be able to play in the NFL, because everyone doesn't get that opportunity. So I'm just really excited to be a Viking.
“I'm going to do whatever it takes to help the team win and win a Super Bowl.''
The athleticism from the mammoth left tackle was one of the things that really stands out to Stoops when describing his former player.
“Replacing a left tackle like Tyrus Thompson won't be easy for us,” said Stoops. “Because he's so athletic and has such good feet, sometimes people lose sight of the fact that he fared pretty well against some of the nation's most physical pass rushers during his career.”
Another reason Thompson is excited to head to Minnesota is the opportunity to play with and block for OU legend Adrian Peterson.
“It's crazy,'' Thompson said. “I never thought I would block for him.”
VideoFB AARON RIPKOWSKI
GREEN BAY PACKERS
6TH ROUND (206TH OVERALL)
Aaron Ripkowski wrote another chapter in his incredible story over the weekend, as the former OU walk-on was drafted in the sixth round of the draft by the Green Bay Packers with the 206th overall pick. The Packers have a great recent history with utilizing former college walk-ons. Most notably Pro Bowler Clay Matthews began his collegiate career as non-scholarship player.
Stoops sees Ripkowski as a player who could play in the NFL for a long time based on his toughness and versatility.
“Aaron Ripkowski is an all-around football player, period,” Stoops said. “There's a place for him in the National Football League. He's versatile, he's tough and he can catch the football. Guys like Aaron can have a long career in the NFL and he's someone that's easy to root for.”
Many believe Ripkowski will be groomed as the heir to current Packers' fullback John Kuhn, who has become a fan favorite due to his hard-nosed approach to the game. Green Bay also believes he will find a role in special teams.
“He's a four-core player on special teams,” Green Bay Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. “He pours it up in there.”
Rookie Free Agent Prospects
One of the most intriguing exercises that goes on in NFL personnel offices beginning in the seventh round is the jockeying for position and “recruiting” of players who will potentially go undrafted. While this goes unnoticed by most fans, for undrafted players, it affords some of the most coveted individuals an opportunity to choose the situation that may give them the best chance to make an opening day roster.
Don't be surprised to see any or all of these players show up on a roster or at least get a tryout. Although contracts may not yet be signed, here are potential landing spots for some Sooners that were tweeted as of 7 p.m. on Sunday.
More Potential Oklahoma Rookie Free Agent Signees
OL Dionte Savage Miami
OL Adam Shead ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Chicago
DL Chuka Ndulue Denver
DB Julian Wilson?? Baltimore
DB Quentin Hayes ? ? ? ? ? ?Seattle
Players Mentioned
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