NFL Draft Weekend Will Provide More Fuel for Oklahoma’s Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis

Oklahoma is on fire on the recruiting trail, but this weekend’s NFL Draft will offer more ammunition for defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.

Edge rusher R Mason Thomas and defensive tackle Gracen Halton both have a chance to hear their name called by the time the second and third rounds conclude on Friday, and transfers Damonic Williams and Marvin Jones Jr. hope to be in NFL camps by the end of the offseason.

Bates’ developmental track record was fantastic at Clemson, but he hadn’t yet had time to produce draft pick after draft pick in Norman as he worked to rebuild the Sooners’ defensive line.

Oklahoma Sooners, Todd Bates, Trent Wilson — Oklahoma defensive tackles coach Todd Bates talks with defensive lineman Trent Wilson before one of the Sooners' spring practices. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Head coach Brent Venables placed full faith in Chavis, but he brought with him no prior track record as an on-field coach before taking over as the Sooners’ defensive ends coach.

Before the 2025 season, Jonah Laulu was Bates’ biggest success story in Norman.

He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, and Laulu has been a productive member of the Las Vegas Raiders' defensive line.

Chavis turned Ethan Downs into a reliable piece for OU, and Downs made his NFL debut with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025, but Thomas is primed to be his first edge rusher drafted.

Thomas, much like Nik Bonitto before him, is viewed as a tweener by NFL teams, but his pass rushing abilites should see him come off the board before the end of the second round.

The emergence of Thomas, paired with last year’s breakout star Taylor Wein, will leave no questions with high school recruits about Chavis’ coaching abilities.

Oklahoma Sooners, Marvin Jones Jr., Miguel Chavis — Oklahoma defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. celebrates with defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis after making a play against Kent State. | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

He signed Jake Kreul, who was rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals and a 5-star edge rusher by ESPN, in the 2026 class, and Chavis already has a verbal commitment from Krew Jones in the 2027 class.

Halton is Bates’ biggest success story to date for the Sooners.

He logged 10 total tackles and one tackle for loss in 2023, then totaled 11 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

Halton took off in 2024.

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He finished the Sooners’ first season in the SEC with 30 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, then followed that up with 33 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a scoop-and-score as a senior.

Halton will also have his phone close by all night Friday, and Damonic Williams and Marvin Jones Jr. will also hope to get drafted this weekend after transferring to Oklahoma to play for Bates and Chavis.

Both David Stone and Jayden Jackson will be draft-eligible following the 2026 season as well, and both will draw plenty of eyeballs from NFL scouts all season, regardless of whether they stay at Oklahoma all four years or if they opt to leave school a year early.

It took Bates and Chavis a couple of seasons to get the assembly line of NFL defensive linemen rolling, but once the 2026 draft comes and goes, there are no signs of the pipeline drying up in Norman anytime soon.

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