No, I'm not talking about the 2011 Oklahoma Sooners who are surely to be picked as the pre-season favorites not only to win the Big 12 but also have a chance to be the pre-season's #1 team in the country. The Sooners I am talking of are the ones that have had their names called in the NFL draft. Since the year 2,000 Oklahoma has placed 49 players into the NFL through the draft. That's 32 more than little brother Oklahoma State, four more than Texas and five more than Nebraska.
| School | Draft Picks Since 2000 |
| Oklahoma | 49 |
| Texas | 45 |
| Nebraska | 44 |
| Kansas St | 32 |
| Texas A&M | 32 |
| Colorado | 26 |
| Texas Tech | 20 |
| Missouri | 19 |
| Oklahoma St | 17 |
| Kansas | 12 |
| Iowa St | 11 |
| Baylor | 9 |
Even with a predictably low draft count this year Oklahoma is in no jeopardy of losing its status as the top NFL prospect producing school in the Big 12. While this weekend will be a far cry from last year's, where the Sooners dominated the first round, there are still going to be Sooners heading into the NFL. Running back DeMarco Murray and safety Quinton Carter will be in competition to see who will be the first Sooner taken.
The 2010 draft was the crown jewel of Oklahoma draft classes. That draft saw seven Sooners taken in all but four went in the first round with Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams all going in the top four picks. Tight end Jermaine Gresham was the fourth Sooner selected in the first round of that draft when he was selected 21st overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.