Several Sooners could opt for the NFL draft.
PASADENA, CALIF. — The mystery of Oklahoma’s season is over.
That ended with a blocked field goal and a Sony Michel touchdown on a chilly January night at the Rose Bowl.
OU did enough to become one of the four playoff teams, but not enough to overcome the hump and reach the national championship game.
Now, Oklahoma readies for a different kind of a drama, the kind that could persist for the next month.
Eighteen seniors are set to move on from their collegiate careers, including quarterback Baker Mayfield. But more could join them.
Offensive tackle Orlando Brown, tight end Mark Andrews and running back Rodney Anderson are the Sooners’ best draft-eligible underclassmen, and their decisions could drastically shape OU’s future.
Each position has some depth, but each player would be a major asset to an offense that will have to adjust to a new starting quarterback for the first time in three years.
Brown, the son of late NFL tackle Orlando Brown Sr., has been open about his professional aspirations since he decided to come back a season ago.
CBS Sports’ mock NFL Draft projects Brown to be the No. 3 overall pick to Indianapolis, while ESPN’s Todd McShay has him going to the Carolina Panthers at No. 25.
Brown is almost certain to leave, and right tackle Bobby Evans is a likely candidate to fill his position on the left side.
Andrews may also opt to end his Oklahoma career.
The 6-foot-4, 254pound Mackey Award winner isn’t in McShay’s first round, but CBS Sports ranked Andrews as the No. 29 prospect in the upcoming draft. Andrews was a steady weapon throughout the season, recording eight touchdowns and 958 yards on 62 catches.
Freshman Grant Calcaterra wasn’t a key piece of OU’s 2017 offense, but he spent a season playing behind Andrews and learning the position through him. If Andrews leaves for the NFL, Calcaterra is primed to pick up where he left off. Perhaps the most intriguing of OU’s NFL prospects is redshirt sophomore running back Rodney Anderson.
Playing in his first full season of college football after two season-ending injuries, Anderson didn’t even consider the NFL until a few weeks ago.
Though he has a very limited sample size, his final seven games of the season were nothing short of spectacular.
He held his own in the Rose Bowl loss, picking up 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns. More than half of his yards — 127 of 201 — came after contact.
He’s not listed on CBS Sports’ top 32 NFL Draft prospects, but NFL analyst Dane Brugler lists him along with Andrews and Brown as notable Big 12 players who need to make draft decisions.
“Anderson’s emergence as the catalyst of the run game was a major storyline for OU’s 2017 season,” Brugler wrote in a Dallas Morning News analysis. “Since becoming the starter in mid-October, Anderson has averaged 134.9 rushing yards per game, taking pressure off Mayfield.”
The running back room has plenty of depth behind Anderson, including freshman Trey Sermon and sophomore Abdul Adams. Both had bright spots in their seasons, but neither maintained the consistency Anderson achieved through the second half of the schedule.
TJ Pledger, a four-star running back from IMG Academy, is also scheduled to join that group for next season, and he could provide a big boost if Anderson leaves.