Oklahoma football: NFL teams with the most former Sooners on 2021 roster
By Chip Rouse
With the annual NFL Draft in the rear-view mirror and rookie mini camps underway, it got us thinking about how many former Oklahoma players are currently on NFL rosters.
Oklahoma ranks fourth all-time among college teams for the number of players selected in the NFL Draft. Five Sooners were selected in this year’s draft, led by center Creed Humphrey, who went in the second round, 63rd overall, to the Kansas City Chiefs.
As of the end of April, the OU athletic department lists 37 former Sooners on NFL rosters and six other Oklahoma players that have been in the NFL but are currently free agents. .
The Sooners are represented on 19 of the 32 NFL teams, 10 of which have multiple Sooners on the roster.
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The Cincinnati Bengals lead all NFL franchises with five former Sooners, including former OU running back combination Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. Defensive end Amani Bledsoe, linebacker Jordan Phillips and kicker Austin Seibert are also with the Bengals.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, two of the best teams in the American Football Conference, each have four former Sooners on their roster.
The Chiefs’ offensive line now includes the All-American Humphrey and former Sooner offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was traded to Kansas City this spring by the Ravens. Long-snapper James Winchester and tight-end Blake “Belldozer” Bell are also members of the Chiefs.
Former Sooners who now toil for Baltimore include OU receiving teammates Mark Andrews and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, offensive linemen Ben Powers and Adrian Ealy. Ealy signed with the Ravens as a free agent following the NFL Draft in April.
The Dallas Cowboys have three Oklahoma players on their roster: wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and defensive back Steven Parker.
Six other NFL teams have two former Sooners each on their 2021 roster.
Although if is difficult to come up with a precise figure of which college programs have the most former players currently in the NFL, especially in the offseason when rosters are so inflated with new players and free-agent movement, based on figures put together by the NCAA last fall, it would appear Oklahoma could rank as high as No. 5 behind No. 1 Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and Florida.
One thing is certain, though, the Oklahoma Sooners are well represented in the NFL, both historically and present day.