Oklahoma's Jalen Redmond Listed as No. 8 Returning Interior DL by PFF
One of the most underrated players on Oklahoma’s roster is defensive lineman Jalen Redmond.
After opting out of the 2020 season and missing some time in 2021, it can be easy to overlook how productive the Midwest City, OK native has been when he’s made it onto the field.
With that, Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash has rated Redmond as the No. 8 returning interior defensive lineman in the country heading into the 2022 season.
“Redmond showed no rust in his return to the field in 2021 after opting out of the 2020 season,” Treash wrote. “He earned an 82.6 PFF grade as a key reserve in 2018 and a 78.4 mark across eight games in 2021, most of which he started. Redmond did miss some time midway through the season due to injury, but after his return in Week 9, his top-tier pass-rush production remained. His 19.6% pass-rush win rate and 18.3% pressure ranked tied for first and first, respectively, among Power Five interior defensive linemen in 2021.”
In eight games last season, Redmond had 19 total tackles including eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
He also recovered two fumbles, one of which he took all the way back to the house for a touchdown against Iowa State.
Heading into next season, Redmond will be expected to take the next step into one of the best defensive players on the team.
With Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey moving on to the NFL, the attention turns to Redmond as the veteran presence along the defensive line with the Sooners expected to heavily lean on him.
Redmond is one of just two Big 12 players on the list with Baylor’s Jaxon Player, a transfer from Tulsa, coming in at No. 4.
