The 5 Best Oklahoma NFL Players of All Time

Billy Sims gave Oklahoma a Heisman-winning rushing season in 1978, gaining 1,762 yards at more than seven yards per carry. Four performances of at least 200 rushing yards showed how often he turned that efficiency into substantial production. He followed his Heisman victory with a second-place finish in the next year's voting, extending his national prominence beyond a single season. Detroit selected him first overall in 1980.

Sims belongs high among Oklahoma's standouts because his case combines an exceptional peak with a strong follow-up. His Heisman season was not built on workload alone: the per-carry average demonstrates how much that workload produced. The following year's recognition adds staying power to a college résumé already distinguished by repeated big rushing performances.

Lee Roy Selmon anchored Oklahoma's defense during back-to-back national championship seasons and won both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 1975. Playing alongside his brothers, the defensive tackle paired team success with major individual recognition. He faced routine double teams yet still recorded double-digit tackles for loss as a senior. Tampa Bay selected him first overall in 1976, beginning a professional career that eventually brought Pro Football Hall of Fame recognition.

His Oklahoma ranking rests on more than the championship setting. The senior-year disruption supplies a concrete measure of his contribution, while the two awards underline the distinction of that final season. Selmon's case balances a decorated individual peak with a central defensive role across consecutive title-winning teams.

Adrian Peterson made an immediate impact at Oklahoma, rushing for 1,925 yards as a true freshman and finishing second in Heisman voting. That debut established the defining peak of his college career. Injuries interrupted portions of his sophomore and junior seasons, but he still averaged more than five yards per carry across his three-year stay. Minnesota selected the running back seventh overall in 2007.

Peterson's place among Oklahoma's leading players depends more on immediate excellence than uninterrupted longevity. His freshman production provides a substantial ranking argument without needing to treat the injury-shortened years as equivalent seasons. The career rushing average adds useful context: although availability changed, his overall output remained efficient. Oklahoma received both a remarkable debut and meaningful production beyond it.

Baker Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech and again at Oklahoma before becoming the Sooners' 2017 Heisman-winning quarterback. In that final season, he threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns against six interceptions. His Oklahoma résumé also included a victory over Ohio State in Columbus, giving his college career a prominent road win alongside its individual honors. Cleveland selected him first overall in 2018.

Mayfield's strongest ranking argument is the combination of passing volume and efficiency in his Heisman season. The touchdown production was substantial, and the limited interceptions show that it did not require a comparable volume of mistakes. His walk-on background gives the career a distinctive beginning, but his Oklahoma performance—not that origin story—is what supports his place here.

Kyler Murray waited behind Baker Mayfield before taking over Oklahoma's offense and winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy. He produced 4,361 passing yards, 1,001 rushing yards and 54 total touchdowns in that season. A first-round Major League Baseball selection as well, Murray brought a notable two-sport background to his quarterback career. Arizona selected him first overall in 2019, following Mayfield's selection at the same spot a year earlier.

Murray's Oklahoma case is concentrated in a spectacular peak rather than several seasons as the starter. His passing production makes clear that his value cannot be reduced to scrambling, while the rushing contribution distinguishes the breadth of his offensive role. The Heisman recognized a season in which both dimensions supplied substantial production for the Sooners.