Make no mistake, Oklahoma is QBU. Two of the last four Heisman winners are Sooners in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018). Now, they both start on Sundays in the NFL. Jalen Hurts enters the season as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. And OU’s current signal-caller, Spencer Rattler, is a Heisman favorite and a projected first-round draft pick in 2022. That trend is expected to continue when five-star prospect Malachi Nelson arrives in 2023.
Under Lincoln Riley, the Oklahoma Sooners have built a quarterback pipeline in Norman.
But quarterbacks aren’t the only thing the Sooners pour into the NFL. Oklahoma has done a great job recruiting and developing offensive line talent over the years, with Lane Johnson, Trent Williams, Creed Humphrey, and Orlando Brown just a few of the Sooners currently in NFL trenches.
Johnson, who enters his ninth year at tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, was named the No. 1 right tackle in the NFL by Trench Warefare analyst Brandon Thorn.
Although an ankle injury limited Johnson to seven games in 2020, both Thorn and the Eagles expect him to return to form as one of the league’s most consistent linemen.
Johnson started 15 of the 16 games during Philadelphia’s 2018 Super Bowl run. The following season, he posted a career-best passing grade of 88.8 per Pro Football Focus.
The three-time Pro Bowler enters the season blocking for another former Sooner in second-year quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Much like their division rival Dallas Cowboys, injuries across the offensive line shipwrecked the offense last season. Johnson’s return should provide a cleaner backfield in 2021 and give Philadelphia’s Miles Sanders and Jalen Reager room to use their lethal speed.