Five More Oklahoma Players Drafted on Final Day

Originally Published: Apr 24, 2010 4:58 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NEW YORK CITY – After a string of OU and OSU players flew off the NFL Draft board in the first round, it took more than 24 hours for the next Oklahoma player to be selected.

The Sooners and Cowboys were shut out of the second and third rounds, but combined to provide five picks – OU’s Keenan Clayton, Dominique Franks and Brody Eldridge, and OSU’s Perrish Cox and Zac Robinson – in the final four rounds Saturday.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Keenan Clayton with the 23rd pick of the fourth round, No. 121 overall. Clayton started his college career as a safety, but head coach Bob Stoops switched him to linebacker after his sophomore season.

He went on to have remarkable success as an outside linebacker and set an OU record with six forced fumbles in his junior season. At times he played as a rover, a combination of linebacker and defensive back in nickel packages.

“Keenan’s maturation as a player was impressive,” Stoops said in a statement. “He made himself a stronger and faster player and developed into someone that we had to have on the field. The fact that he began his career as a safety then moved to a linebacker gave him a lot of versatility. It made it possible him for double at times as our nickel back, a real luxury, especially against hurry-up offenses.”

Clayton is undersized for an NFL linebacker, so it is currently unclear what position he will play for the Eagles. It is possible that he will be used primarily on special teams, a job he also performed well while at OU.

Clayton was the only Oklahoma player taken in the fourth round, but three went in the fifth round. Cornerbacks Dominique Franks and Perrish Cox started things off in quick succession at the beginning of the round.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Franks with the No. 4 pick of round five, and the Denver Broncos took Cox two picks later. The two are very similar and offer almost identical skill sets at the NFL level.

“Dominique had a knack for the big play, and he made several for us that changed the tone of a game,” Bob Stoops said. “He covers well, tackles well and is extremely dangerous with the ball in his hands. I think he’ll grow into an outstanding corner in the NFL and will only increase his value with the skills he also possesses on special teams.”

Cox also made big plays while at OSU, both on defense and special teams. He finished with a total of ten interceptions and six special teams touchdowns in his college career. He was one of the most highly coveted return men in the draft, but slipped into the fifth round because of concerns surrounding his suspension late last year.

Cox was suspended for the Cotton Bowl last season and also was not allowed to take part in the team’s Pro Day. The reason for his suspension was simply a “violation of team rules,” and no specific details were given. Despite Cox’s rocky exit, OSU head coach Mike Gundy praised the Broncos’ pick.

"Perrish is a very talented player and he will be able to help a team in a variety of ways," Gundy said in a statement. "He's got good size and he makes plays."

As the fifth round drew to a close, the Indianapolis Colts selected OU utility man Brody Eldridge with the No. 162 overall pick. Much like Clayton on the defensive end, Eldridge was appealing because of his versatility. He acted primarily as a blocking tight end while with the Sooners, but played as a center and guard last year during a season ravaged by injuries along the offensive line.

“You won’t find a bigger heart than the one in Brody Eldridge, “Stoops said. “He attacks on every play. Brody is a devastating blocker and a guy who has really honed his receiving skill. He looked very good catching the ball on Sam Bradford’s pro day. We viewed Brody as one of our most valuable players so I am very happy that he is getting this opportunity.”

Eldridge is not big enough to play center or guard in the NFL, but tight ends with his blocking ability are rare. He will likely be used as an outside blocker in goal line and short yardage situations.

For quite some time, it seemed that Eldridge would be the last player with Oklahoma ties to be selected. But the New England Patriots changed that by selecting former OSU quarterback Zac Robinson with the No. 250 pick.

Robinson narrowly avoided becoming Mr. Irrelevant, the tough-in-cheek nickname given to the last player selected in the draft. Robinson joins a Patriot team that is led by perennial Pro Bowler Tom Brady, and he will likely be asked to compete for the No. 3 quarterback position.

Plenty of other Sooners and Cowboys who graduated after last season were not drafted, including running backs Keith Toston and Chris Brown, defensive end Auston English and cornerback Brian Jackson.

Just because they were not drafted does not mean these players have missed their shot at the NFL. Teams will spend much of the next few days signing undrafted free agents and extending invites to team tryouts.

A total of 11 former OU and OSU players were selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, and none of them went to the same team. If any additional players are signed, Oklahoma Sports will let you know.