Brent Venables’ roster overhaul gains national momentum as interior powerhouse David Stone and dual-threat passer John Mateer headline a deep pool of elite talent eyeing the next level
ESPN’s latest draft projections for the 2027 class include eight players from Oklahoma’s current roster. That’s a significant number and another sign the program is moving in the right direction under head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy.
Jordan Reid, Senior ESPN NFL Draft Analyst, laid out the Sooners’ group like this: "It has been a couple of years since the Sooners have had a first-rounder, but that will likely change in 2027. (David) Stone is the best run defender in a strong class of interior defenders and has a mid-to-late Round 1 grade. Jayden Jackson is another stout inside player with midround grades.
Quarterback John Mateer returns after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing hand. He toughed it out last season, finishing with 2,885 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in eight games. At 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, Mateer is a daredevil who isn't afraid to challenge any throwing window. Many scouts threw his post-injury tape out the window, resulting in a mixture of Round 2 and 3 grades.
Isaiah Sategna III is the leading returning receiver, with early Day 3 projections. Parker Livingstone, a Texas transfer, has late-round projections, as does Virginia transfer Trell Harris. Transfer tight ends Hayden Hansen (Florida) and Rocky Beers (Colorado State) have Day 3 grades. Oklahoma's best offensive linemen, Arkansas transfer (E'Marion) Harris and Stanford transfer Jake Maikkula, are also in the late-round picture.
Edge rushers Adepoju (PJ) Adebawore and Taylor Wein are seen as Day 3 prospects. Kip Lewis is the team's highest-graded linebacker with a midround grade, while Owen Heinecke was able to return to school after initially declaring for the 2026 draft. He's seen as a late-round hopeful. Safety Peyton Bowen is a versatile playmaker who has received late Day 2 grades. His brother, Eli Bowen, is a corner who's in the late Day 3 picture."
Reid’s breakdown projects one first-rounder and eight total picks. David Stone is the clear headliner as a mid-to-late first-round talent and the top run defender in a strong interior class.
Mateer sits in the second- or third-round mix if scouts focus on the healthy version of his tape. Peyton Bowen has late Day 2 interest, while Kip Lewis carries a mid-round grade. The rest of the group — including Jayden Jackson, Isaiah Sategna III, Taylor Wein, Adepoju Adebawore, and several others — largely falls into the Day 3 range.
ESPN also flagged a couple of specific notes: Stone as the top prospect to know, offensive tackle E’Marion Harris as a sleeper to watch, and the Georgia game on Sept. 26 as the one circled on the schedule.
Oklahoma is listed in Tier 3 among schools for overall draft talent heading into the season. That’s not the absolute top tier, but it’s respectable and reflects a roster with multiple pros in the making rather than one or two blue-chippers.
The broader trend is what stands out most. Oklahoma had seven players drafted in 2026. R Mason Thomas went in the second round to Kansas City, followed by three fourth-round picks (Febechi Nwaiwu, Gracen Halton, and Kendal Daniels) and three more in the seventh round. That was already a jump.
From 2022 through 2025, the Sooners only produced 10 total draft picks. Going from that drought to back-to-back classes with seven and now a projected eight is real progress.
Nagy has talked openly about selling more than just winning and current NIL opportunities. One of the pitches has been that Oklahoma is a place that can help position players maximize their future earnings at the next level. When a program starts consistently putting multiple players into the draft each year, that message carries more weight on the recruiting trail and in the portal. Prospects notice when a school is developing talent that gets paid on Sundays.
Stone leading the group makes sense given the buzz around him. A healthy Mateer with a full season of tape could climb or solidify his stock depending on how the year goes. The supporting pieces on both sides of the ball give Oklahoma depth in the projections rather than relying on one or two names. Not every player listed will ultimately get drafted — these are preseason outlooks — but having eight on the board this early is a positive indicator of the roster’s overall talent level.
For Venables, this kind of projection reinforces the developmental side of the program. The defense continues to produce NFL-caliber players, and the offense is starting to show more names with draft interest as well. Sustaining that over multiple cycles is how a program rebuilds its reputation for sending players to the league.
There’s still a full season to play, and draft boards will shift based on performance, health, and testing. Stone will be under the microscope as a potential first-rounder. Mateer’s ability to stay healthy and play efficiently will shape his grade. Several others have a chance to play their way up with strong seasons. The Georgia game in late September is already being viewed as an early measuring stick for some of those evaluations.
Eight projected picks doesn’t guarantee anything in April, but it does show that Oklahoma’s current roster has legitimate NFL talent across multiple position groups. After a stretch where draft production was thin, the last two cycles point to something more sustainable.
That’s a meaningful step for the program, and it’s one opposing recruiters will have to account for moving forward.
