The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft ended Thursday night without an Oklahoma Sooner getting their name called for the second year in a row, which makes for a busier Day 2 and 3.
Day 2 will include the second and third rounds, where a few Sooners will definitely learn their NFL fate. The second round starts at 6 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN. There are three likely candidates to go Day 2 from OU with multiple options, but these are the best-case scenarios for each prospect.
R Mason Thomas, EDGE: Rd. 2, Pick 33 to San Francisco 49ers
Edge rusher R Mason Thomas was the Sooners' best chance at having a first-round pick this draft, which would have made him OU's 50th all-time first-round pick had he went Thursday night. Ultimately, Thomas' size at 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds likely had the biggest influence in his slip and has him still available Day 2.
Thomas will certainly hear his name called Friday night, though, and maybe even immediately. Plenty of teams are looking for pass rushers and this class is deep at that position, but the San Francisco 49ers have the first pick in the second round at No. 33 while in the market for a pass rusher and could prefer Thomas over the others. That's obviously the earliest Thomas could go at this point and would immediately put him on a Super Bowl contender.
Even if the 49ers pass on Thomas, he won't have to wait around long Friday night.
Deion Burks, WR: Rd. 3, Pick 96 to Seattle Seahawks
Wide receiver Deion Burks might be undersized at 5-foot-10, but his speed, which he showed off at the NFL Combine with a 4.3-second 40-yard dash, has him on Day 2 radars for franchises wanting a deep threat.
Although it might not be the earliest he could go, the Seattle Seahawks with the 96th pick in the third round seems like the best situation for Burks. He would join a team that just won the Super Bowl and should continue to be in the mix. The Seahawks also have enough talent at receiver that Burks could develop and learn under Jaxon Smith-Njigba while winning a lot of football games before eventually getting the chance to break out himself.
Gracen Halton, DT: Rd. 2, Pick 59 to Houston Texans
Defensive tackle Gracen Halton is the Sooners' biggest wildcard for Day 2. He could very well still be available on Saturday, but some mock drafts even had Halton going before Thomas leading up to the draft. Considering this is the best-case scenario for each of these prospects, Halton goes in the second round here after impressing every time he was in front of scouts throughout the pre-draft process.
Although others teams are looking to bolster the interior of their defensive line, realistically based on the most recent mock drafts, the Houston Texans at No. 59 seems to be the earliest Halton will go. That puts him on a team that has made the playoffs the last three years and is overall pretty young, so Halton could get set up for a lot of success as a second-round pick.
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