Former Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke believed he had one more season of college football to prove he's good enough for a franchise to take a chance on him in the NFL Draft, but after the NCAA denied his appeal and likely ended his college career, the time is now for Heinecke to show what he's made of after just one season as a contributor at OU.
Heinecke was already in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine this week when news broke that his appeal was denied. He then confirmed it on Wednesday morning during his press conference.
A big reason why Heinecke fought for another year of eligibility wasn't just to be a Sooner a little bit longer, but he's also aware of the reality that his 2026 NFL Draft stock isn't exactly soaring after just one season of actually contributing in college, which makes this week more important for Heinecke than any of the other nine Sooners in Indianapolis.
Why Owen Heinecke has more to prove than any other OU player at the NFL Combine
"I think because I popped on the scene a little late, there's doubts about how I play as a linebacker," Heinecke said. "So just showing that I can run with the best of the best. I think I did that all year playing in the SEC. Just coming here to Indy and continue to prove that, for sure."
Oklahoma LB Owen Heinecke on what he’s trying to prove during the process pic.twitter.com/rJczjnsHtv
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) February 25, 2026
Heinecke's college journey started in 2021 as a lacrosse player at Ohio State, where he appeared in just three games for a total of about 15 minutes but still counted as a year of football eligibility, which is why Heinecke is in today's situation. He then went back to his home state and walked onto OU's football team.
After an injury kept Heinecke sidelined all of 2022 and he played mostly on special teams or as a reserve linebacker the next two seasons, Heinecke broke out in 2025. He was a Second-Team All-SEC selection after earning a starting job midseason. He notched 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and forced a fumble while making his only five career starts. He has 39 career games under his belt, but still little playing time outside of this past season.
The small sample size was impressive enough for Heinecke to earn invites to the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine while still fighting the NCAA for another season at OU. Even with those invites, though, no major draft experts expect Heinecke to hear his name called during the 2026 NFL Draft in April, leaving him eventually signing as a free agent.
Other than his lack of size at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, almost all of Heinecke's weaknesses on his NFL.com prospect profile stem from his lack of playing time, which leads to his possible NFL Draft fate:
- Undersized with a frame that is likely maxed out.
- Minimal defensive snap experience until 2025 season.
- Still learning to recognize blocking schemes and play designs.
- Had some trouble diagnosing misdirection against Ole Miss.
- Unlikely to shock and shed pro guards due to his size.
- Has trouble making quick recoveries from early trouble.
Heinecke turned some heads during the Senior Bowl, which might have been his best chance to prove most of these knocks wrong, but during a week crammed with interviews and drills to test what Heinecke is really capable of, the NFL Combine could be the difference in if Heinecke gets drafted or basically starts his NFL career the same way he did at OU -- needing to prove he even belongs.