Oklahoma football: Former Sooners bookend 2024 NFL Draft opening round

Two former Oklahoma football transfers -- one incoming and one outgoing -- were selected on the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday.

The selection of offensive tackle Tyler Guyton by the Dallas Cowboys with the 29th overall pick of the first round marked the 29 consecutive year that Oklahoma has produced at least one pick in the what is officially known as the NFL's Annual Player Selection Meeting and one of the biggest events on the NFL calendar.

The Sooners' 16-year streak of having at least four draft picks every draft year, however, may be in jeopardy. OU has several other players with draft potential, including wide receiver Drake Stoops, son of former head coach Bob Stoops, but their projections in mock drafts are for later rounds on Saturday, if at all.

It is also worth noting, of course, that the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, Caleb Williams, began his college career as an Oklahoma Sooner before transferring to USC after the 2021 season to follow Lincoln Riley, his head coach at OU. Guyton was also a product of the transfer portal, coming to Oklahoma from TCU in 2022 after two seasons at TCU.

Guyton is the 49th first-round pick from Oklahoma in the history of the NFL Draft (since 1936). That ranks eighth among all college teams. The former TCU transfer follows Anton Harrison, another OU offensive tackle, who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the 27th overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Guyton is also the 12th Oklahoma offensive lineman and eighth tackle taken in the draft in the 10 years Bill Bedenbaugh has been in place as the OU offensive line coach.

The 6-foot, 8-inch, 330-pound offensive tackle played two seasons at Oklahoma. The 2023 season was his best. He played in 10 games and started nine. All but one of those starts was at right tackle. He was on the field for a career-high 663 snaps. Over 355 pass-blocking plays, according to Pro Football Focus, Guyton did not allow any quarterback sacks last season.

"(Tyler Guyton's) growth as an offensive tackle the past few years is amazing and is reflective of the job Coach Bedenbaugh does developing his players and preparing them for the next level."

- Sooner head coach Brent Venables

Guyton is the fourth Oklahoma offensive lineman selected in the first round since 2010: Harrison (2023), Lane Johnson (Philadelphia in 2013) and Trent Williams (Washington in 2010).

Guyton joins former Oklahoma All-American and first-team NFL All-Pro, CeeDee Lamb, who was the last Sooner player to be drafted by Dallas, in the 2020 draft.

The second and third rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft will take place from Detroit on Friday evening, and rounds four through seven will conclude on Saturday.