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Top NFL Draft Prospects on Offense for Oklahoma Sooners

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By @rickstavig

Oklahoma Sooners, NFL Draft

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has been dominant in recent years, pairing both a strong ground game and explosive aerial attack against overmatched defenses. As a result, the Sooners have been well represented in the NFL Draft, with 17 offensive players being selected the past six years, including three top-4 picks. So who are the top prospects eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft? I’ll give you a hint: there’s a reason that ground game is firing on all cylinders right now.

The Sooners offensive line boasts three of the better offensive line prospects in the Big 12 including OG Adam Shead and OT’s Tyrus Thompson and Daryl Williams. Shead is a mauler inside with impressive strength, particularly in his base. He’s a strong drive blocker and also absorbs powerful bull rushers well. He has good length despite not outrageous height (6-foot 3, 340-pounds) and gives a good punch. He’s not the most mobile of linemen and can struggle getting to the second level but is solid on chips and scrapes.

Thompson (6-foot 4.5, 340-pounds) is the blindside protector and arguably the best athlete up front. What he has in skills, however, he lacks in polish. He has good feet, long arms and can get to the second level but needs to develop more consistency in his technique. He does a good job bending at the knees and keeping pad level but needs to get stronger in his drive blocks. Could be a candidate to move inside to OG at the next level but has the raw skills to man the edge.

Williams (6-foot 5, 330-pounds) is more polished than Thompson but doesn’t quite have the athletic upside. He’s a mauler in the ground game, is a force on down blocks and getting to the second level and won’t be driven back on a bull rush. He doesn’t alway play with the best pad level and lunges with his shoulders sometimes instead of giving a good punch and getting hand placement. He’s another candidate to move inside at the next level, where his footwork on the edge won’t be exposed.

As far as skill position-prospects go, the Sooners are young. One to really keep an eye on and who has really come on strong this year is junior WR Sterling Shepard (5-foot 10, 195-pounds), who’s been one of the few bright spots in the passing game so far. Through four games Shepard leads the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (436) and receiving TD’s (2). The next closest receiver in terms of yards has 211. He’s averaging a ridiculous 19 yards per catch and more than 100 per game. He’s not the biggest or fastest, but has good hands and run good routes, similar to Ryan Broyles from a few years ago. He’s an impressive athlete who can also help out on special teams.

Another guy to keep an eye on is senior TE Blake Bell, the former QB. Bell doesn’t show up much on the stat sheet but is a solid athlete with great size (6-foot 6, 260-pounds). Not saying he’ll be the next Lane Johnson, but there’s enough similarities for scouts to keep an eye on him.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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