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Oklahoma football: Sooners’ Top 5 NFL draft classes since 2000

By John Makuch

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Quarterback Sam Bradford #14 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up before a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Cowboys Stadium on September 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Quarterback Sam Bradford #14 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up before a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Cowboys Stadium on September 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1.  2010 NFL Draft

This class is the third on this list to feature a No. 1 overall pick as well as a Heisman winner who played for Oklahoma. Four first-rounders and three players selected in the top four make this a star-studded and unique class.

Sam Bradford was selected No. 1 overall by the then St. Louis Rams where he would play from 2010-2014. He struggled with injuries in St. Louis including an ACL tear, and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.

The 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year would jump around from the Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals and was unable to sign with another team after 2018. Many wonder if Bradford would still be playing today if the injuries were not an issue. But despite the injuries and an up-and-down NFL career, he still has made over $100 million in the NFL.

Gerald McCoy was selected third overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had plenty of productive years there. The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-Team All-Pro selection has 59.5 career sacks and was a star for a mediocre Bucs squad.

The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year may be reaching the end of his career, but it was a memorable one as Tampa and Sooner fans will remember him fondly.

The pick immediately after McCoy belonged to the now Washington Football Team and they selected offensive tackle Trent Williams.

The eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Second-Team All-Pro has been one of the best left tackles in the NFL.  This past season he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and was one of the top-graded players in 2020.

Williams may find himself a spot in the Hall of Fame when he decides to call it a career and could become the third or fourth player from OU inducted into Canton depending on when Peterson retires.

Later in the first round of the 2010 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected tight end Jermaine Gresham, one of the best tight ends in OU football history, with the 21st overall pick.

Gresham played nine seasons in the NFL, was selected to the Pro Bowl twice, and was a solid and consistent red-zone option for the Bengals. He also had some good moments for the Cardinals.

He had a quick decline once he reached Arizona, but was able to stay around for four seasons and reached an NFC Championship while he was there.

Oklahoma saw this NFL Draft round out with three players being selected in the  fourth and fifth rounds.

Linebacker Keenan Clayton, defensive back Dominique Franks, and tight end Brody Eldridge all were selected on the third day of this draft. None of these three players had long careers, but being drafted and playing NFL games is something that few people can say they have accomplished.

Having four first-rounders from the same school is rare even for a blueblood like Oklahoma, let alone having all of these players reach the Pro Bowl at some point in their careers.

The classes that have followed this, especially the ones from the past three years, have all the potential and could easily see similar success to the 2010 class.

Next. Top 5 Oklahoma Sooners in the NFL in 2020. dark

At the present pace Oklahoma is on, we will see multiple players from Oklahoma make the leap to the NFL, and might even end up in Canton. within the next 20 years.

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