Buzz around Oklahoma Sooners 2025 NFL Draft Prospects only grows after standout performances at NFL Scouting Combine

The Oklahoma Sooners only sent three prospects to this year's NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Still, each of them delivered memorable performances during their athletic testing and drills.  The Sooners' trio had plenty of interest around the NFL, but each of them testing above expectations has increased the buzz around all […]

AJ Schulte College Football Trending News Writer
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Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) celebrates a play in the first half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2024.
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma Sooners only sent three prospects to this year's NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Still, each of them delivered memorable performances during their athletic testing and drills. 

The Sooners' trio had plenty of interest around the NFL, but each of them testing above expectations has increased the buzz around all three and has positively impacted their NFL Draft stock. 

Here's what I'm hearing surrounding the three Sooners after the 2025 NFL Combine:


LB Danny Stutsman

Stutsman was always the likeliest to be drafted first among all the Sooners' prospects this year, and his Combine performance reaffirmed that status. With a 4.52 40-yard dash, a 1.55 10-yard split, and a 34" vertical, Stutsman was one of the top-testing linebackers in Indianapolis. 

Next Gen Stats listed Stutsman as a top-five linebacker in their composite rankings for their new Combine IQ tracker for this year. 

Stutsman has battled injuries throughout his Oklahoma career due to his playstyle as a battering ram, but nobody I spoke to hinted they had any concerns regarding his durability and ability to hold up at the next level. 

One scout I spoke to for an AFC team raved about Stutsman's intangibles and playstyle, admiring him as a throwback-style linebacker that every team could use. He is a starting MIKE linebacker in any scheme at the next level. 

In an era where linebackers are getting smaller and smaller, Stutsman's size and athletic profile make him a standout. Add his off-field impact into the equation as well and it's easy to see why teams love him.  

I've always viewed Stutsman as a Day Two prospect, but the focus now shifts to whether he even makes it out of the second round. 


DB Billy Bowman Jr.

Billy Bowman is one of the best safeties in this class with his ballhawk ability and quick twitch. There were some athleticism concerns surrounding Bowman heading into the Combine, but he silenced those with a 4.42 40-yard dash, a 1.52 10-yard split, a 35.5" vertical, and a 123" broad jump.

Additionally, Bowman's GPS top speed came in at 23.13 MPH, fourth in the class, and his max acceleration of 6.11 MPH finished second in the entire group. 

I spoke to a couple of scouts regarding Bowman's NFL stock, and there are some split opinions, especially on where he plays at the next level. One scout believed Bowman could be a multi-faceted defensive back who could line up across the formation at multiple positions, similar to how the Buccaneers use Antoine Winfield Jr.

Another believed Bowman could be one of the better nickel corners at the next level. In his exact words, "I don't care so much about his size, I care about how he plays. He fits the run like a [expletive] and plays the ball better than most of the class. That's a starting nickelback for me." 

Either way, it seems like Bowman has delivered quite an impression in Indianapolis, and might have put himself back in Day Two conversations.


DE Ethan Downs

Perhaps the most impressive performance relative to expectations was how well Ethan Downs tested. Some concerns existed heading into the Combine that Downs was a below-average athlete and that would push him firmly down draft boards. 

Safe to say, he helped ease those concerns in Indianapolis. Downs ran a 4.69 40-yard dash with a 1.62 10-yard split, 34" vertical, and 119" broad jump. According to Next Gen Stats' tracking numbers, Downs had the second-fastest max accel of any edge rusher at the Combine this year while also boasting the fastest shuttle speed of any edge rusher. 

Those numbers cemented him as one of the top testers in a freakishly athletic group of pass rushers.  

It's tricky to navigate his NFL stock, as his value as a run-defender defensive end will depend largely on the team. Some teams will see him as a starting-caliber base defensive end who immediately boosts the floor of a team, while others will get scared off of his average pass-rush ability and small arms (31 inches). 

However, based on conversations I had with scouts after the Combine, I would be surprised if Downs slipped out of the fourth round after his performance in Indianapolis.