Oklahoma State NFL Draft Stock Watch: Where Drew Mestemaker Must Overcome Mountaineers

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have one player that many NFL teams are focused on and that's quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

The redshirt sophomore is building on his impressive 2025 at North Texas. He's already eclipsed all Oklahoma State quarterbacks from last season by one measurement. He has eight touchdown passes in three games. Oklahoma State quarterbacks combined to throw seven touchdown passes a year ago.

Head coach Eric Morris is molding the Austin, Texas, native into a potential pro quarterback one day. And while Morris is in no hurry to lose him, he knows as well as anyone that games like Saturday are the kinds of games NFL scouts love to break down.

West Virginia does two things defensively that Mestemaker hasn't seen much of this season. His ability to handle it will interest NFL scouts as the Cowboys try to snap an 18-game losing streak in Big 12 action.

The Mountaineer Defensive Traits Mestemaker Must Master

West Virginia Mountaineers defensive coordinator Zac Alley shakes the hands of opposing players after a game. — West Virginia Mountaineers defensive coordinator Zac Alley. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Morris has spoken frequently about Mestemaker’s ability to process information, read defenses and make decisions quickly. But the Mountaineers offer him something he really hasn’t seen yet this season.

Mountaineers defensive coordinator Zac Alley runs a system that really doesn't have a base formation. While Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Skyler Cassidy runs a base 4-2-5 and does toggle into different fronts based on need, Alley is as likely to run a 4-2-5 as he is to run a 3-3-5 or even a 3-4 look.

Alley can mix that up game-to-game and after a good run in the transfer portal last offseason he has the personnel to mix that up possession to possession.

West Virginia may run a 3-3-5 against Oklahoma State on passing downs based on OSU’s Air Raid principles and the need to keep track of up to five pass catchers per play. Or it can use a 3-4 to bring interior pressure and set edges on the outside to contain the run.

For a quarterback who is building a reputation as a high-level diagnostician of coverage, West Virginia's ability to change formations on a dime is a challenge that NFL scouts will be intrigued to see on tape.

There's another thing that Alley likes to do with his defense and that's blitz. The Mountaineers blitz a lot. Unlike the Cowboys’ first three opponents, who relied more on their front four to bring pressure, the Mountaineers are going to use multiple fronts and multiple players to get pressure in Mestemaker’s face. West Virginia has 10 sacks this season, which was one of the best totals in the country. Nine different players have at least one sack.

Handling the blitz is a big part of handling the offense in the NFL. Quarterbacks must pick up on tells quickly, make audibles at the line of scrimmage, rearrange blocking and more. It's possible Mestemaker could see blitz packages nearly 50% of the time in this game.

When you consider that he has six turnovers, scouts are going to want to see his ability to recognize the blitz, see how he changes protection and most importantly maintains possession of the football.

Oklahoma State is in no hurry to push him out the door to the NFL. But he is eligible for the draft after the season and every game is an opportunity to impress scouts, whether he decides to start his pro career in 2027 or later. By impressing scouts on Saturday, that puts the Cowboys in good position to beat the Mountaineers.

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