One Big 12 Player Ranked Among ESPN’s Top 14 2024 NFL Draft Prospects
Some of the best football in the country in 2023 was played right here in Big 12 country, regardless of what some in the mainstream media might want you to believe.
Every year, we see the NFL Draft talk start to heat up and it quickly becomes apparent that the top talent in college football, at least from a professional perspective, comes from the SEC and the Big Ten, while the Big 12 seems to lag behind in terms of draft picks.
In 2023, the Big Ten led all conferences with 10 first-round selections, followed by the SEC with nine, and the Big 12 had the third-most with six.
Heading into the heart of Bowl Season, ESPN has ranked its Top 14 draft prospects ahead of the New Year. There are still several months for things to change, but at the moment just one player from the Big 12 has cracked the list: Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton.
Oklahoma has been one of the top schools in terms of producing NFL talent along the offensive line, with its top eight active linemen earning a combined $100,222,112 in 2023. Three of those players, Trent Williams, Lane Johnson, and Creed Humphrey, are considered the top players at their positions in the league.
ESPN’s Matt Miller compares Guyton to Philadelphia Eagles’ All-Pro RT Lane Johnson, saying that he’s got all the athletic tools it will take to be an elite player at the next level.
“Watching Guyton — a former defensive lineman — glide across the field in pass protection and run blocking makes it hard to not see Johnson, a former Sooner. Guyton is 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds with beautiful agility and length. He’s still developing his full toolbox at right tackle but has the lower-body traits to play the left or right side in the pros. In 29 college games (15 starts), Guyton allowed one sack.“
While Guyton’s alma mater (and their arch-rivals) will be an SEC school this time next year, he’ll be considered a Big 12 selection in this draft.
Oklahoma and Texas lead the Big 12 with 17 first-round selections a piece since the 2000 NFL Draft and will take that history with them to the SEC. Now, another team will have to step up and replace them as the top NFL producer in the conference.
The Texas Longhorns (12-1) will represent the conference as the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff before leaving for the SEC, while No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2) will wear the “XII” patch in the Alamo Bowl against No. 14 Arizona.
