Former Dallas exec raves about Lewis, Broyles
Published: 5/18/2011 9:02 PM
Last Modified: 5/18/2011 9:02 PM
The biggest fan of the 2011 Oklahoma Sooners once helped run the Dallas Cowboys. That bodes well for next football season.
It bodes even better for the '11 Sooners who will be playing in the NFL in 2012.
Here's what's up:
Gil Brandt, Dallas' personnel guru from 1960-89, still keeps tabs on college prospects. In fact, he just unveiled his top 100 2012 draft-eligible prospects on NFL.com. Three Sooners made the list.
Quarterback Landry Jones is No. 10. This is no surprise, as Jones was high on mock draft boards across the Internet as soon as the '11 draft concluded.
Earlier this week, the gang at the NFL Gridiron Gab blog rated Jones the third-best pro prospect among college QBs, behind Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley, and said he had "all the measurables you look for at the position."
A bit more specific, Brandt wrote: "Jones has the size and arm strength teams look for."
So the Sooners have a high first-round draft pick calling signals. They also have, according to Brandt, a high first-rounder playing weakside linebacker. And a late first-rounder catching passes.
Brandt puts Travis Lewis at No. 7 overall, by far his highest-rated linebacker (Alabama's Courtney Upshaw is next at No. 18), and writes that Lewis "could be this year's version of Von Miller, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 draft."
For what it's worth, I sort of believe Ronnell Lewis could be OU's next version of Miller, although we might not see it until 2012, after Lewis has played a full season of defensive end. But the point remains – Lewis came back for his senior season to both win a national title and enhance his pro stock.
Brandt's assessment indicates he can do both.
Same for Ryan Broyles. The Sooners' alltime leading receiver is too small and too slow for some draftniks who have left him off their mock first rounds altogether.
Brandt doesn't see it that way. He slots Broyles at No. 20 on his list and writes: "He has the speed and quickness to be explosive, much like the Eagles' DeSean Jackson."
Again, that's a pretty lofty assessment. There are Olympic sprinters who don't have Jackson's explosion.
Still, it's good to be noticed. The Sooners are getting a lot of notice this offseason, for their 2011 potential and beyond.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
