Blatant Homerism: Combine invites are a good sign for Sooners
Roughly a year ago, I took to this site to lament the Oklahoma Sooners’ lack of representation at the NFL combine. OU sent a grand total of three players to perform for pro talent scouts at the event in 2025. It marked the second year in a row that just three players received invitations to the combine, and it seemed like a fitting commentary on the precarious state of the program from 2022 to 2024.
However, combine invitations function more as a lagging indicator of a college football program’s talent. I noted at the time that things were looking up for OU in that regard. That proved true, as 10 Sooners landed spots at the NFL’s event this year:
WR Deion Burks
LB Kendal Daniels
DL Gracen Halton
LB Owen Heinecke
DE Marvin Jones Jr.
TE Jaren Kanak
OL Febechi Nwaiwu
S Robert Spears-Jennings
DL R Mason Thomas
DL Damonic Williams
Keep in mind that the OU braintrust persuaded upwards of four more potential invitees to stay in Norman for one more year: LB Kip Lewis, QB John Mateer, WR Isaiah Sategna and DL Taylor Wein.
The NFL combine news lends itself to a handful of conclusions about the current state of OU’s program. First, it indicates the team has finally recovered from the lingering effects of Lincoln Riley’s personnel mismanagement. Brent Venables and the athletic department likely put a governor on the speed of that recovery over four years with some of their choices regarding NIL and the transfer portal, but the Sooners do look more like their old selves now.
On a related note, sending 10 players to the combine makes a compelling statement about the ability of Venables and his staff to evaluate and develop talent. Although general manager Jim Nagy and the rest of OU’s scouting department apparently have primary responsibility for the identification part of the equation now, development has always been one of Venables’ calling cards – especially on the defensive side of the ball. This further validates his prowess.
The combine news also fits with broader signs of improvement in the program overall. There’s the obvious: OU won 10 games this year against a rugged schedule. Efficiency metrics tell a similar story, though. For instance, the Sooners jumped from 33rd overall in SP+ in 2024 to 14th in ‘25.
Of course, NFL combine invitations tell us a backward-looking story – the Sooners had a number of players garnering the attention of pro scouts, in other words. Nothing guarantees talent evaluators will continue poking around Norman in search of more studs.
The good news is that OU should produce another crop of intriguing pro prospects next season. Besides the aforementioned four returnees, you could envision a range of other players on the 2026 team receiving invitations to the 2027 combine:
DL PJ Adebawore
S Peyton Bowen
WR Trell Harris
TE Hayden Hansen
DL Jayden Jackson
DL David Stone
Ultimately, the hope for the Sooners is that the ‘26 squad laid a foundation for a promising future. If the NFL continues to mining OU’s roster at a similar rate as this year, the wins should be coming, too.