Oklahoma football has long NFL Draft history, but 2024 one of leaner years for likely Sooner picks

Oklahoma football has been one of the more active participants among college teams in the National Football League draft -- or what is officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting.

The 2024 NFL draft takes place this Thursday through Saturday in downtown Detroit, home of the NFL Detroit Lions. Oklahoma has a streak of 16 consecutive years in which at least four Sooners were selected in the draft. That could end this year, with only two or three OU players expected to hear their names called during the seven rounds of this year's draft.

Offensive tackle Tyler Guyton is the pick of the litter as far as Oklahoma players are concerned. He could go as early as the first round, but probably no later than the second. Offensive guard Walter Rouse, who transferred to OU from Stanford before last season, also has a good chance of being selected, but late in the draft, if at all.

After that, it's somewhat of a crapshoot regarding OU draft prospects. Wide receiver Drake Stoops, offensive linemen Andrew Raym and McKade Mettauer, defensive linemen Jonah Laulu, Isaiah Coe and Marcus Stripling and defensive back Reggie Pearson Jr. are hopeful of being among the some 220 draft selections, but most likely have to enter the league as free-agent prospects.

Since the NFL draft was first held in 1936, 414 Oklahoma Sooners have been selected in the draft. That ranks fourth among all schools behind Notre Dame (525), USC (523) and Ohio State (485). Pretty good company to be in among the all-time greats in college football.

Forty eight of the 414 Oklahoma NFL draft selections were taken in the first round, including five No. 1 overall selections (DE Lee Roy Selmon in 1976, RB Billy Sims in 1980 and QBs Sam Bradford in 2009, Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Kyler Murray in 2019). LB Brian Bosworth was the No. 1 overall player selected in the 1987 supplemental draft.

Mayfield and Murray, both still starting quarterbacks in the NFL, were the No. 1 overall picks in back-to-back years.

The Sooners have had at least one player selected in 28 consecutive NFL drafts (since 1995), and there have been just two years (1962 and 1995) in the 87 year history of the NFL draft that no Oklahoma players were selected.

Thirteen Oklahoma players were selected in the 1988 NFL Draft, the most of any year the Sooners have participated in the NFL draft. And in 2010, three Sooners were selected in the first four draft selections: No. Sam Bradford, No. 3 DT Gerald McCoy and No. 4 OT Trent Williams. TE Jermaine Gresham also was a first-round pick at No. 21.