We are only 11 days away from kickoff at NRG Stadium, so today we will highlight Dede Westbrook.
Westbrook came to OU from Blinn Community College - a football power that has helped produce the likes of Cam Newton and Michael Bishop - as part of the 2015 class. He made an immediate impact at OU, catching 46 balls for 743 yards and four touchdowns. He had some issues with drops on occasion last season, but Westbrook will have every opportunity to be a star in 2016.
This season, he’ll be OU’s primary threat on the outside. The starter opposite of Westbrook will likely be Penn State grad transfer Geno Lewis, who has proven in the past that he can make spectacular plays. We all know that Mark Andrews will be a big threat over the middle and in the red zone, so the passing came should be a well-oiled machine provided that Westbrook and Lewis can beat defenders deep and keep opposing secondaries honest.
My prediction: OU will spread the ball around a bit more this year, so Westbrook likely wont have enormous numbers (even if he plays extremely well). I estimate that he ends the year with around 900 years and seven touchdowns, which would be a very good year. He obviously won’t replicate the big-play ability of Sterling Shepard, but he has blazing speed. I suspect Westbrook and Mayfield will connect on more deep balls this year, as they struggled to convert on most of those opportunities last season.