Oklahoma State vs. Oregon Brings Falcons Legend, NFL Scouts to Stillwater

Here is the complete list of the NFL scouts and personnel people that were in Stillwater for Saturday’s Oklahoma State-Oregon Game

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

STILLWATER, Okla. — Everyone knew that the showdown between Oklahoma State and Oregon was going to bring out the NFL scouts.

But it didn’t just bring scouts — it also brought an Atlanta Falcons legend.

Per ESPN’s Max Olson, former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was among the NFL front office leadership that was in attendance for the game, along with the more than 20 scouts that were reported to have been credentialed earlier in the week per the Tulsa World.

Ryan is now the president of football operations for the Falcons after a 15-year playing career that led him to finish as the Falcons’ passing leader in several categories. He moved into television with CBS Sports for a few years before taking the role in his former organization, which selected him as a first-round pick in 2008 (No. 3 overall).

The other front office leadership at the game included Ryan’s general manager Ian Cunningham, and Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort.

Why Scouts are at OSU-Oregon Game

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The biggest reason for the front office executives and the general managers to come to the game is the quarterback matchup between Oregon’s Dante Moore and Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker.

Moore is a Heisman Trophy contender and jilted the NFL after last season to return to college football for another season. He is seen by most as a first-round pick and potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Mestemaker is a redshirt sophomore who made his first start against a power conference team on Saturday. The former North Texas quarterback — who led the nation with 4,379 yards last season — turned the ball over three times against Tulsa last week and only threw for 241 yards. However, he is seen as a potential first-round pick if he decides to come out of school early. He is eligible to be drafted as he will be three years removed from high school after the season.

Several Oregon players are also seen as potential first-round picks, including defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington and outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei.

Five NFL teams sent multiple scouts to the game, including the Cardinals (three), the Falcons (three), the Miami Dolphins (two), the New York Giants (two) and the Baltimore Ravens (two). The Minnesota Vikings, the New York Jets, the Seattle Seahawks, the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys, the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams each sent a scout to the game.