Sooners in the Draft, 2000-2008: Where are they now?

[badger]

I propose this "Where are they now?" thread.

In it, we discuss where these players who were drafted are now

So, without further ado, let's begin, shall we?

Note: I'm listing all Offensive players other than RB, WR and QB as "OL" and all Defensive players as "DB" except CB's. This is just done for simplicity's sake, because dang it, we're OU and we have a lot of draftees! Also, most info is taken from NFL.com and Wikipedia, with a few exceptions from my limited knowledge of everyone at this point... hence this thread

2007:
Adrian Peterson, RB: Drafted in first round to Minnesota. Set rookie rushing records, became MVP of pro bowl, is incredibly awesome, despite missing senior season at OU. Grade:

Rufus Alexander, DB: Drafted in sixth round to Minnesota, joining AD. "RUUUU" sat out rookie season with an injury, but potential is still through the roof despite a fallen draft stock due to off-field issues near the draft (which were BS, btw). Grade:

C.J. Ah You, DB: Drafted in seventh round to Buffalo, but moved to St. Louis pretty quickly after getting cut in the preseason. Still with the Rams, future uncertain. Grade:

2006:
Davin Joseph, OL: Drafted in first round to Tampa Bay and still with the team. Started all 16 games in 2007 (12 starts in 2006) and is a solid contributer to the team... but that doesn't mean Chrissy Simms can't find a way to blow things after the O-Line does their job Grade:


Chris Chester, OL: Drafted in second round to Baltimore. Had a few starts at right guard in 2006, and five starts in 2007. Has potential to continue being a valuable part of the team. Grade:

Dusty Dvoracek, DB: Drafted in third round to Chicago, joining many Sooner teammates. Injuries plague is career, but potential is still there to give Chicago a 1-2 Sooner punch with Tommie Harris. Grade:

Travis Wilson, WR: Drafted in third round by Cleveland. Despite all the potential to improve Cleveland's abysmal offense, he was passed on depth charts by newcomers in 2007 and I am not really sure what his status is now. I think he's still with the Browns, but he did not log any starts in 2007 (is he practice squading?). He played in four games in 2006. Grade:

Clint Ingram, DB: Drafted in the third round by Jacksonville. Couldn't ask for more consistency, by starting in 11 games and playing in 13 games in both 2006 and 2007. Recorded 33 tackles, an INT and a forced fumble in 2007. Making a nice impact and should continue to have a solid position with the Jags. Grade:

JD Runnels, RB: Drafted in sixth round by Chicago. He proved to be too nice a guy to cut completely and spent the year on Injured Reserve in 2007. Will 2008 be a year for him to have an active roll on the Bears? As a Packer fan, I hope not. As a Sooner fan, I'm sure we couldn't wish more of the best for such a great guy. Grade:


I'll be back to do seasons 2005 and 2004 soon. If anyone has any details to add on these guys, I would love to hear more. If you disagree with my grades, that's ok. They aren't educated grades at all

[badger]

Continuing where I left off...

2005:
Jammal Brown, OL: Drafted in first round by Nawlins. That switch to OL from DL is working out pretty well, eh? Making the pro bowl and being a solid player for a team that has to deal with adversity that we grow tired of hearing about elsewhere in the NFL. However, he's a leader and anchor on the offense and the Saints would be hurting badly without him. Oh, and I got his autograph at the Red-White game a few weeks ago, so you know he still loves his Oklahoma and OU roots. Yay! Grade:

Mark Clayton, WR: Drafted in the first round by Baltimore. Another Oklahoma native in the first round in the same year??? AND a solid contributor? Sure, he's not a Pro Bowler (yet!) but is definitely a valuable part of a team's offense known more for their defense. Had 67 receptions for 939 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2007. Grade:

Brodney Pool, S: Drafted in the second round by Cleveland. Came out "early" for his development, but in a year with few safeties so a good move to get drafted higher. However, he did not become a starter at safety, playing in 13 games in 2005 and moving to corner in 2006 and 2007 because of injuries to regular corners. Became a Cleveland hero overnight when returning an INT a record 100 yards against hated Baltimore. Might return to safety in 2008. Grade:

Mark Bradley, WR: Drafted in the second round by Chicago. Had injuries in 2005 that limited his playing time, but started four games that year. Since then, has not had any starts, but has played in more games each year (10 in 2006, 15 in 2007), but unfortunately, his stats have not improved as far as receptions go. Didn't he move to special teams? Somebody fill me in. In nay event, he may end up traded or cut soon because of declining productivity. Grade:

Dan Cody, DB: Drafted in the second round by Baltimore. An Ada native like that other guy that we won't mention here, Cody has spent most of his professional career injured and spent the entire 2007 season on the IR. Hopefully, he'll bounce back and we can start seeing some of his Sooner brilliance in Baltimore. Grade:

Brandon Jones, WR: Drafted in the third round by Tennessee. Has been pretty inconsistent. 2006 was his best year, playing all 16 games and recording 10 starts. However, his three-season stats are what might be expected in one season for a solid NFL wide receiver: 71 receptions for 931 yards averaging 13.1 per catch and eight touchdowns. Still, the Titans might have a "sleeper" onhand just ready to burst out and dominate. Grade:

Antonio Perkins, KR: Drafted in the fourth round by Cleveland. Played one game in 2005, five games in 2006, then got cut and moved to Indianapolis in 2007... but unfortunately was cut in the final training camp in 2007 by the Colts. He is now a Toronto Argonaut, which might be a launching point to get back in the NFL. Grade:

Donte Nicholson, DB: Drafted in the fifth round by Tampa Bay. Nine games and five tackles in 2005 rookie season, but nothing for 2006 and cut in 2007... and then re-signed less than a month later! Is now primarily a special teamer and I'm not sure where that places him on the team for 2008. Grade:

Lance Mitchell, DB: Drafted in the fifth round by Arizona after a very solid Combine. Played 12 games in 2005, but is now an Arena Footballer for the Arizona Rattlers (spent 2007 with the Orlando team) after getting cut from the Cardinals in 2006 after two preseason games. Grade:

Wes Sims, OL: Drafted in the sixth round by San Diego. His career is kind of confusing, but for a native Okie, I'll try. Signed in 2005 to the Chargers, but cut and signed to the practice squad and then signed to the regular team. Cut completely in early 2006 by San Diego. Signed late 2006 to the Carolina Panther practice squad, then signed to New Orleans as a free agent in early 2007. As far as I know, he is still with the Saints alongside former Sooner teammate Jammal Brown, so maybe Brown has some pull. Grade:

Wow, did we have a lot of draftees in 2005! I'll be back later with 2004. Please add to and critique my 2005 list

[badger]

In case you're wondering about my grades, this is pretty much how I'm doing it:

Five : As awesome in the NFL as he was in Oklahoma.
Four : Solid contributor to the team and great future in the NFL.
Three : Still potential for a great NFL career, but due to circumstances involving injuries or whatever, has not shown their OU greatness yet.
Two : Low NFL productivity or completely out of the NFL, perhaps because of depth chart issues, being in Arena Football, etc.
One : To be determined when issued

Now that we are finished with the 2005 and 2006 monster years with all the talent in the world and future Pro Bowlers and solid contributors, we see the post-Nawlins draft of 2004 and the last remnants of Blake and first few Stoops recruits from here on back...

2004:
Tommie Harris, DB: Drafted in the first round by Chicago, thus started this Packer fan's misery with the "Sooner Bears" and all of OU's talent landing in our rival's club. Sure, he's a Pro Bowler and a solid starter and all, but more telliing is his community involvement and the positive impact he's had in Chicago since arriving, both on and off the field. Jay Mariotti trashes cocky Rex regularly, but if Jay ever dared to trash Tommie, he would be burned at the stake. Grade:

Teddy Lehman, DB: Drafted in the second round by Detroit. A solid player and the only rookie LB to start all 16 games that year. He had a few off years, then came alive in 2007, a "contract year," heh. He became an unrestricted free agent in 2008 and made the most of it. He signed with the Bucs in 2008. Grade:

Derrick Strait, CB: Drafted in the third round by the NY Jets. He's played for a lot of teams, so let's rattle them off: NY Jets (2004-2006), Tampa Bay (2006), Chicago (2006), Carolina (2006) and out of the NFL to the Arena League with Columbus Destroyers (2008) and the CFL Edmonton Eskimos (2008). He was brilliant with us, without question. He's just lost a step when taking it another level and has had several IR moments, which led to cuts. Who knows? He might make a strong return. Grade:

2003:
Andre Woolfolk, CB: Drafted in the first round by Tennessee. Had a relatively solid but not spectacular career with the Titans from 2003-2006. Never played a full season with the Titans and is now with the New York Jets. Grade:

Quentin Griffin, RB: Drafted in the fourth round by Denver. I have a fond memory of Q in his rookie year. With Denver already securing a playoff spot, Q got the start and rushed all over the Packers for 100+ yards. We saw the Q of OU-Texas greatness, of Rose Bowl greatness, of greatness greatness! Unfortunately, Q had an injury that dropped him down the depth chart and he was cut twice in 2005. He signed and was cut from Kansas City in 2006. He was in NFL Europe in 2006 at the Hamburg Sea Devils, leading the league in rushing and kick returns... but that was not enough to bring him back to the NFL, alas. He is now in Canada with the... um, how do you pronounce this? "Saskatchewan Roughriders?" Here's hoping our Q gets to the NFL once again. Grade:

Jimmy Wilkerson, DB: Drafted in the sixth round by Kansas City. Let's all shed a tear for this quick exit Sooner and all the potential he had to become a first rounder had he stayed another year. However, he has had a pretty good NFL career so far, playing 2003-2007 with the Chiefs. He then became a free agent and is now signed with Tampa Bay.

Trent Smith, TE: Drafted in the seventh round by Baltimore. While we relatively unproductive for Baltimore (2003-2005) and San Fran (2005) and played in five games, which was the last action he saw in the NFL. However, the Norman-native makes a good case for getting your education while getting your football on. He now owns Sooner Medical Staffing, Sooner Technologies, and Corinthian Investments, all based out of Oklahoma City. So, a success off-field. Grade:

[badger]

The next three years go by relatively quickly, with two choices in each round, respectively. The 2002 draft is significant, because it marks the first year that our streak of first rounders began... and ended yesterday

2002:
Roy Williams, DB: Drafted in the first round by Dallas. A pro bowler, a lone bright spot on the D-town Defense that has to cover everyone when the corners don't. He's a pro bowler AND had a tackle named after him! Grade:

Rocky Calmus, DB: Drafted in the third round by Tennessee. I remember picking up and reading his autobiography written by his mother in the Sooner bookstore my freshman year. It was written like a mom would write about her son After injuries plagued Calmus' NFL career early on, the Titans dealt him away in 2005. The last time he played was in the 2004 season, but he is now on Indianapolis' injured reserve list. People still expect great things out of the Jenks Trojan, but will the injuries get to be too much for Rocky? Grade:

2001:
Torrance Marshall, DB: Drafted in the third round by GREEN BAY, DANG IT! I loved Torrance for the Packers. He was a great line backer and I wish we still had him. What really led to his downfall was that special teamers are often thought of as easily cut players. He had a brief suspension in 2003 and was on IR in 2004, so that was it for the Packers and Sooner Packers I could brag on here about He is now an Arena baller, playing for the Austin Wranglers in 2005 and is now with the Tampa Bay Storm. Get this - he's a linebacker AND a fullback, so he's scoring 17 touchdowns in a season now Grade:

Josh Heupel, QB: Drafted in the sixth round by Miami. Ok, so his NFL career was short, but so was Major Applewhite's, ok? So here we have a situation where Heupel comes back to OU to grad assist coach, then he moves to Zona with Stoops II, then he moves back to OU to turn every QB prospect into a highlight reel, even if they've been playing WR for a year. Now can be seen running up and down the sidelines trying to pump up the Sooner Nation and rattle Chase Daniel's little roid pumped mind In a decade, look for OU-Texas to be Coach Heupel vs. Coach Applewhite, instead of QB Heupel vs. QB Chrissy... I mean, um... Applewhite. Grade: (with for future coaching potential)

2000:
Stockar McDougle, OL: Drafted in the first round by Detroit. Sorry, never heard of him (I was a froshie at OU in 2001, so he was before my time), but his career went from Detroit in 2000-2004, to Miami in 2005, to end in Jacksonville from 2006-2007. He's now a free agent and had some off-field issues in 2007. His best years looked to be 2003-2004 where he played all 16 games. However, he had declining production since. Grade: ?

William Bartee, DB: Drafted in the second round by KC. As far as I know, he's still with the Chiefs. He even changed his number to 21 so Ty Law could have 24. Has injuries, so is on the IR list, I think. Grade: ?

2000 is probably a good year to stop, while I would love to tell stories of Demond Parker's brilliance as a Packer and fanning off his shoes after touchdowns. Overall, Stoops seems to have done fairly well in drafts and this is a good reflection of his recruiting and training ability in preparing players for the next level.

[MI Sooner]

Stockar McDougle had a better career than most of the guys on that list, but I don't know if that says more about him or them.

A couple of comments/questions:

Why do you list running backs and linebackers as "DBs?"

No one is expecting great things out of Calmus any more

Your rating were generous. I'd consider a second or third rounder who doesn't really contribute to be a one smiley face guy.

[badger]

Originally Posted by MI Sooner

Why do you list running backs and linebackers as "DBs?"

Because, as I said, I was saving myself time and calling all defensive players DB's unless they were corners. I'm not sure which RB I listed as a DB, but it was probably a typo. I'm sure we've both noticed several, as I was typing it up off of a lot of sources and not off my own knowledge ranting ability.

No one is expecting great things out of Calmus any more

Don't give up yet! I'd say he still has a chance this or next year to make an impact.

Your rating were generous. I'd consider a second or third rounder who doesn't really contribute to be a one smiley face guy.

Going through all these players, I've realized something about the draft -- your position doesn't guarantee future success. It only guarantees more time with the team that drafted you and most likely, more money up front on your first contract. Here we have a list of players, all quality because it's OU we're talking about, and we see success from first rounders, we see success from seventh rounders. If you want to look further back on the charts from earlier years, we had success in 12th rounders. We also had some players plagued with injuries and productivity that were taken in early rounds. So, my "grades" were based on their productivity so far and their potential for futures in the NFL. It is telling that some players that have been nothing but injury-ridden are still on NFL rosters, while others are already out of the league for other reasons. So, that's where that comes from... that and I'm a biased Sooner fan.

[Rogue]

Stockar McDougle was about 6'8 and 340. OK, I'm making those number up, but he was HUUUUUUGE. A mountain of a man.

[ArkanSooner]

Cool, thanks for the update.

[SoonerTerry]

Nice work Badger. Seeing all those names brought back some sweet memories.
Thanks
Terry

Originally Posted by MI Sooner

Stockar McDougle had a better career than most of the guys on that list, but I don't know if that says more about him or them.
A couple of comments/questions:
Why do you list running backs and linebackers as "DBs?"
No one is expecting great things out of Calmus any more
Your rating were generous. I'd consider a second or third rounder who doesn't really contribute to be a one smiley face guy.

All the work she did on this and this is your response?

Prepare to be negged into oblivion... and I don't give out much neg.

[olevetonahill]

Originally Posted by SoonerTerry

Nice work Badger. Seeing all those names brought back some sweet memories.
Thanks
Terry



All the work she did on this and this is your response?

Prepare to be negged into oblivion... and I don't give out much neg.

Uh Thats Bolivia Dude ! Oh and I helped .
Or did I neg Badger ?
Naw I greened Her

[badger]

Originally Posted by olevetonahill

Uh Thats Bolivia Dude ! Oh and I helped .
Or did I neg Badger ?
Naw I greened Her

Zzzz. Don't bother negging. I had some free time and I used it to research something I was curious about. Rather than negging, can you add details to the list? kplzthx

[BillyBall]

Theres no way that Mark Bradley is getting cut from the Bears this season. We are so thin at WR that he will probably start this year.

[badger]

Originally Posted by BillyBall

Theres no way that Mark Bradley is getting cut from the Bears this season. We are so thin at WR that he will probably start this year.

This is the type of "Sooner Bears" crap I'm talking about, where all of the sudden all of my colleague Sooner fans are now Bears fans, which drives Packer fans like me nuts If only I was around in the late 90s and early 00s... THEN you would see obligatory posts regarding the awesomeness of Demond Parker and Torrence "Got my Boy's Trophy" Marshall.

However, because I am in a cordial mood toward you Chi-towners now (mostly because of a 13-3 season and division champs year, hehe), please accept this infamous "Sooner Bears" picture:

For the n00bs out there, from left: Mark Bradley (WR), Dusty Dvoracek (DL), Tommie Harris (DL) and JD Runnels (RB/ST).

For more cordiality, here is Mark Bradley in action:

I would say he is at risk of getting cut or at least getting traded because of his time with the club. I've seen it happen to fan favorite receivers and other position players --- they spend too many years mid-depth chart and the team decides to move on, not because they don't believe in the guy, but don't believe he would be a right fit for the team after these years. So, that's why I said what I did.


JD, like I said, only seemed to stay on the roster because he was such a "nice guy," because he's been injured (but not severely), yet the team kept him on IR after cutting him because they wanted him to stay with Chicago. While I would love for him to move to GB, I think its in JD's best interests to stay in Chicago where he's developed relationships with the coaches and players and community, because his greatest asset has always been his personality. If you don't think so, just watch his reaction on the "Goooo Raiders!" YouTube video.


You've all probably seen enough action shots of Pro Bowler Tommie Harris, so let's just cut to the fun shots Tommie is a wonderful person off-field who has really developed a relationship with the Chicago community. It definitely helps that he's an All-Pro on one of the best defenses in the league, but with all the great players OU's had, it's good to see our great players like Tommie also be great people.


I've always thought Dusty looked like a modern day Viking, but because I don't want to get started on all the "Sooner Vikings" crap that's starting to appear on gamedays with Viking jerseys and such, let's just stick with Dusty the big scary Bear. For those of you that don't know the story, Dusty and Tommie were destined to come to the NFL the same year, but Dusty had off-field issues and Tommie jumped to the NFL his junior year (can't blame him - he was a top 10 pick). So, they ended up on the same NFL team. Once they're on the same NFL defensive line, I will be one extremely unhappy Packer fan, worried how long Aaron Rodgers is going to hold up

Here's hoping the Packers get at least ONE Sooner on their roster soon. I'm sick of talking about our rivals

[BillyBall]

Actually I say "We" because I grew up a Bears fan and live in Chicago, but it definitely helps having some Sooners on the team now.

[badger]

Originally Posted by BillyBall

Actually I say "We" because I grew up a Bears fan and live in Chicago, but it definitely helps having some Sooners on the team now.

Someday, the Packers will have hordes of Sooner talent on their team and before everyone breaks out their jerseys and such, I'll be able to say the same thing about growing up a Packers fan and living in Wisconsin

Until then, there's always memories of Keith Jackson:

[OUmillenium]

Nice work Badger, I am an NFL Dallas fan and don't watch other teams unless there are Sooners involved. So this narrows down my research time for tuning in to games a bit. Fun stuff

[olevetonahill]

I just wanta hear about How Good Our guys are doing in the Pros
I aint been a Pro fan since the Baltimore COLTS
So Tell Me Our Guys are doing good , And Let me go back To the KIng Of Football .
SOONERS !

[badger]

Originally Posted by OUmillenium

Nice work Badger, I am an NFL Dallas fan and don't watch other teams unless there are Sooners involved. So this narrows down my research time for tuning in to games a bit. Fun stuff

Being an NFL fan, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that this is as of right now and things are bound to change once training camps open... I should do an update then... and that it doesn't include non-drafted Sooners.

I can't think of too many offhand, but I do know that both Paul Thompson and Larry Birdine aren't with the Packers anymore. Both were part of the Packers in the 2007 preseason, signed as undrafted free agents. They both spent the entire preseason with the Packers, up until the final cutting day, when they were both cut from the main roster. Thompson made the practice squad, while Birdine requested to be cut because there were so many at his position in GB.

Birdine then went to Tennessee's practice squad, which he was signed off of by Denver, which he is with now. I am not sure what his status is, but he has no 2007 stats, so I think he just became a practice squader there as well.

Lest we forget, he was always good for a funny quote (I think the coaches told him to SHUT UP ALREADY on more than one occasion). Here's one of those gems: "The precedent has been set. The team that wins (the Oklahoma-Texas game) usually wins the Big 12. We need help now. The other Texas teams can come to our rescue. We'll have to become cheerleaders."

And of course, aTm to the rescue

Paul Thompson... we were all rooting for him to make the Packers (except for those of you vCash betters who chose Option B *cough*). I am a closet wrestling fan, so I can tell you indirectly that Thompson was at a Monday Night Raw show in Green Bay with other practice squaders on September 10. NormanPride and I rewound the DVR just to be sure it was him. One of the WWE Divas strutted in front of him, which he applauded and tried to get pictures of. He was then cut the next day, but I would like to think that it was because the Packers found a different quarterback, not because ENA had too much fun Monday night. Thompson got signed by Tennessee, which he is with right now. I don't think he was on any practice squad the rest of 2007, however.

[badger]

Originally Posted by olevetonahill

I just wanta hear about How Good Our guys are doing in the Pros
I aint been a Pro fan since the Baltimore COLTS
So Tell Me Our Guys are doing good , And Let me go back To the KIng Of Football .
SOONERS !

At the risk of being a post whorn, here's one more final bit of info for you all for future Sooner Watching (soon to be a pasttime in Oklahoma comparable to golf!) in the NFL:

St. Louis Rams
C.J. Ah You
Eric Bassey

Minnesota Vikings suck
Rufus Alexander
Adrian Peterson

Denver Broncos
Stephen Alexander
Larry Birdine

Dallas Cowboys also suck
Remi Ayodele
Roy Williams

Chicago Bears really incredibly suck
Mark Bradley
Dusty Dvoracek
Tommie Harris
JD Runnels

New Orleans Saints
Jammal Brown

Baltimore Ravens
Chris Chester
Mark Clayton
Dan Cody
Kelly Gregg
Corey Ivy
Allen Patrick

Jax Jags
Clint Ingram
Stockar McDougle (wow, I guess he's found, heh)

Tampa Bay Bucs
Davin Joseph
Teddy Lehman
Donte Nicholson
Jimmy Wilkerson

Washington Redskins
Malcolm Kelly

Atlanta Falcons
Curtis Lofton

SF 49ers
Brandon Moore
Reggie Smith

Cleveland Browns
Brodney Pool
Travis Wilson

NY Jets
Andre Woolfolk

There you have it, people. All of you all gung ho about the Bears should REALLY be Ravens fans

[mxATVracer10]

Originally Posted by badger

Thompson got signed by Tennessee .... I don't think he was on any practice squad the rest of 2007, however.

Nope, he was a DJ guy from 8-9am on KREF