Three More Sooners Picked on Final Day of Draft

NORMAN ? One day after wide receiver Sterling Shepard was selected in the second round by the New York Giants, three more Sooners were picked in the final four rounds of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Defensive end Charles Tapper went to the Dallas Cowboys with the third pick in the fourth round (101st overall), cornerback Zack Sanchez was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the second pick in the fifth round (141st overall), and outside linebacker Devante Bond was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the eighth pick in the sixth round (183rd overall).

With four Sooners taken in this year's draft, OU is one of only two programs to have at least four players selected in the NFL Draft each year since 2008 (LSU is the other). In the 17 years Bob Stoops has been head coach, 79 Sooners have been NFL Draft selections.

Also, four Sooners signed free agent contracts (Dominique Alexander [Cleveland], Durron Neal and Frank Shannon [Denver] and Eric Striker [Buffalo]) while two were invited to rookie minicamp (Ty Darlington [Tennessee] and Nila Kasitati [Washington]).

CHARLES TAPPER / COWBOYS / 4TH RD / NO. 101

A starter in 38 of 39 games over his final three seasons at OU, Tapper served as a team captain in 2015 and closed his career by being named a first-team All-Big 12 selection. An honorable mention All-American last season, he racked up 26.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and five forced fumbles over the last three years.

Tapper Says:
"I wasn't really expecting to get drafted real early in the fourth round. I was just going to go with the flow and see how it played out. As the Cowboys were coming up, I was like, 'Man, I hope the Cowboys pick me. That would be a great place for me playing that 5 technique, and they say they need a lot of help. Plus, they've got one of the best D-line pass rush coaches.' I was sitting on the couch and the phone started ringing. I was like, 'Uh oh.' I saw the call was from Arlington, Texas, and when I answered it was Mr. Jerry Jones. Immediately there was just so much relief. Everything was just finally off my back. It was like the greatest feeling ever.

"I didn't really have any idea that Dallas liked me that much. Indianapolis and Arizona had shown a lot of interest, so I thought I'd go to one of those teams. But when Dallas called I was just so happy. I feel like that's just the best place for me, being able to play the 5 technique, be one-on-one with the tackle, be destructive, get up field. They treat every play like get off the ball and then just react. So I just get to be an athlete and show how athletic I am and get to use that 4.5 (speed)."

Bob Stoops Says:
"Charles is strong in the run game and as a pass rusher, and will be a versatile player at the next level. He sets the edge well and also has good speed for his size."

Dallas Head Coach Jason Garrett Says:
"Just really like him. Athletically, we certainly feel like he is a defensive end candidate for us, and a right end candidate. Pass rush guy; he is an outstanding athlete. A lot of basketball in his background growing up, and we do think that the way that we play, the scheme that we run and the style of defense that we run, will feature some of the physical traits that he has. He plays the right way, he seems like an outstanding character guy. [Defensive Ends Coach] Leon Lett went up there and spent some time with him, and we really feel like he has a chance to be a good football player for us. Excited that he was there at the top of the fourth for us."

ZACK SANCHEZ / PANTHERS / 5TH RD / NO. 141

Known for taking gambles on the field, Sanchez's risks paid off more often than they did not. A starter in all 37 of his career games, Sanchez ranks fourth at OU in career interceptions (15) despite playing just three seasons. The two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection also earned second-team All-America acclaim as a junior. He ranks fifth in career interception return yards at OU (220) and sixth in career pass breakups (28). His seven picks in 2015 (in 11 games) tied for fifth on the OU single-season records list. Sanchez was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award last year.

Sanchez Says:
"Carolina showed me the most interest throughout this whole process. So it wasn't surprising to be picked by them. To fall that late was kind of surprising, but everything happens for a reason. I'm just grateful for the opportunity and ready to get to Carolina.

"It's exciting with them coming off a Super Bowl appearance and believing in me to be one of the guys to make plays in the back end. It's just an exciting opportunity. The spot's there. I just have a lot of work to do and I want to be a part of something special. It's just been a really cool experience."

Bob Stoops Says:
"Zack is a big-time playmaker. He just has great ability to be around the ball and go up and take it. He plays well in man and zone and has great recognition. He also has that competitive mindset that makes him a game changer."

Carolina General Manager Dave Gettleman Says:
"Zack I believe played nickel as a redshirt freshman, so he's played nickel, and he's got nickel feet. He's quick, he's not as big as the first two (corners we selected in this year's draft). The first two guys, in our view, are outside players. They've got the length, they've got the size, they've got everything we're looking for. Of the three guys, Zack would be the one who might potentially work (inside). He'll work inside, I think that's fair to say for sure. We've got to find out. The thing about Zack is, like I said, he's really instinctive. He really knows the game. He just likes to bite on double moves, what can I tell ya? Sometimes I drink a milkshake. But Zack is the one. The other two guys are outside guys."

DEVANTE BOND / BUCCANEERS / 6TH RD / NO. 183

Blessed with natural play-making ability, Bond was limited as a senior due to injury and missed four games. The junior college transfer did start five contests in 2015 and registered 43 tackles, including 7.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also started his final three games as a junior.

Bond Says:
"I'm just definitely blessed and happy to be in the Tampa Bay organization. I talked to them at the (NFL) Combine, and I just feel happy and feel blessed to be where I'm at. They were just one of the teams that showed a lot of interest in me during the process. I know I'm going to be an outside backer there. I plan on going there and trying to contribute on special teams early and go from there.

"I couldn't stay home and just watch (it on TV) all day, so my family went to a secluded little bowling alley back home in Sacramento, bowled a little bit and just waited for the phone to ring. Tampa told me in the fifth that they were hoping I wouldn't get picked, because they wanted me early in the sixth. Then the GM called me, told me to look at my family and tell them I'm a Buc."

Bob Stoops Says:
"Devante was a big part of our success last year. You saw his athleticism on display at the NFL Combine and our Pro Day. He's also smart, versatile and a great pass rusher. He plays with great hands and sheds blockers well. He's only going to continue to improve at the next level."

Tampa Bay General Manager Jason Licht Says:
"And then Devante (Bond), Sam linebacker from Oklahoma; heavy-handed and athletic. Great kid. They're all really good kids. They're all athletic. I think they all have a really good chance of being Buccaneers for a while."