Oklahoma Sooners superstar Gracen Halton dominating Senior Bowl, reminding NFL world of Oklahoma’s defensive prowess
Sooners defensive tackle Gracen Halton is putting on a show at the Senior Bowl, proving Oklahoma’s defensive pipeline is back.
Despite back-t0-back seasons of elite seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners are still shaking off their reputation of a defensive “joke” the team carried under Lincoln Riley. The Sooners have turned it around under Brent Venables, capped off by boasting a top-three (at worst) defense in 2025.
A key part of their success was their tremendous defensive line, led by defensive tackles coach Todd Bates and defensive ends Miguel Chavis. The two of them have built one of the single most-talented position units to walk through Norman, and Gracen Halton was a key part of that.
Now at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, Halton is reminding the NFL world that Oklahoma’s defense is here to stay, and that the Sooners are back to producing NFL-caliber talent after years of inconsistent talent. In the words of one scout there, Halton has been “kicking a** and taking names in every rep”.
Gracen Halton’s dominance no surprise to Sooners fans
Halton has been virtually unblockable every day of practice at the Senior Bowl, demolishing fellow draft hopefuls and some of the best players in America. Of course, for fans of the Oklahoma Sooners, that’s not a surprising factoid. Halton has been a force up front for Oklahoma over the last two seasons, wracking up 59 pressures and nine sacks in the SEC. I reached out to a scout there at the Senior Bowl, and he was glowing in his review of Halton’s performance so far across three days of practice.
“This kid’s a wrecking ball. He’s quick off the ball, his hands are powerful and quick too. D*mn the measurables, I want him on my team rushing the passer every down I can. He’s even holding up in the run game reps better than I thought he would at his size. He’s better than Gallimore was coming out.”
Halton’s measurables came in on the smaller side, at 6’2, 293, with 31 3/4″ arms, but he’s a relentless pass rusher, and small(er) arms can actually be a benefit on the inside. Him holding his own in run defense is a huge positive for his evaluation, as defensive tackles on the smaller end of size often have that question.
The quote around Neville Gallimore caught me off guard. Gallimore was a third-round pick back in 2020 and has carved a solid career with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, and Indianapolis Colts. It’s not a completely hot take, as Gallimore’s tape was inconsistent and reliant on flashes, whereas Halton maintained his high level of play much better down-to-down. However, Gallimore is Oklahoma’s only defensive tackle to go on Day 2 in the last decade and is one of just two since Gerald McCoy was drafted in 2010.
If Halton can match a similar draft position, that would only help reaffirm Oklahoma’s regained momentum as a defensive powerhouse, and boost their ability to continue recruiting elite talent up front.
And just think: David Stone and Jayden Jackson are up next season. Those two could both easily go higher than Halton. The times, they are a-changin for the Sooners on that side of the ball.
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