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Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison Goes in First Round of NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected the Sooners' left tackle with the 27th pick in the first round on Thursday night in Kansas City.
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison Goes in First Round of NFL Draft
Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison Goes in First Round of NFL Draft

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison is Florida bound from the first round.

Harrison was the first Sooner selected in this year’s NFL Draft, going No. 27 overall in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Harrison is the Sooners’ first first-round pick since 2020, when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and linebacker Kenneth Murray (Chargers) were both selected in the opening round. He's the first OU offensive lineman to go in the first round since Lane Johnson went to the Eagles with the fourth overall pick in 2013, and he's the first Sooner offensive tackle selected since Cody Ford and Bobby Evans went in the second and third round, respectively, in 2019.

"It's been a dream come true," Harrison said at his Pro Day. "It's been good. All the attention I'm getting, it's been good. Loving it. Learning from all the coaches I'm talking to, all the scouts, things like that. Just going through the process, it's been a learning experience."

Harrison was widely projected as a first-round pick throughout the predraft process, but that came into question as the first round wound down. He's the Sooners' 48th overall first-round pick.

As a first-rounder, Harrison will only add to the total aggregate contract value of former OU o-linemen in the NFL. Per the NFLPA and Spotrac, that total was at more than $345.5 million before Harrison's selection.

Most of those linemen have played for OU o-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, which resonates with NFL personnel, Harrison said.

"I'd definitely say I see the respect that a lot of coaches have for Coach B and this organization," Harrison said. "Just the name the school holds and that Coach B holds. One of the reasons I came here, Coach B, the track record that he has, and me wanting to be a part of that list. So I definitely see at the next level, everybody talks about how smart we are, how we play, just things like that that Coach B teaches us, always harps on every day, so it definitely shows at the next level."

According to Pro Football Focus, Harrison allowed only one hit on the quarterback in his two seasons as the starter. He played 856 total offensive snaps in 2022 and never graded lower than 54.6 in a game, with a season-high of 81.5 against Kansas and his final six games over 67. He graded out at 77.0 for the 2021 season and 72.6 in 2022.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Harrison was a two-year starter for the Sooners out of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C.

Harrison was a 4-star prospect and Under Armour All-American who picked OU over Boston College, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and others.

He played in 34 career games, with 24 starts (23 at left tackle) and was named first-team All-Big 12 Conference. 

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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