Oklahoma had five players drafted – tying Texas for the most in the Big 12 – and that adds up to 21 players drafted in the Lincoln Riley head coaching era.

Former Sooner Creed Humphrey was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round and Ronnie Perkins was taken by the New England Patriots in the third round.

Rhamondre Stevenson was the No. 120 overall selection by New England, Tre Brown was No. 137 by Seattle and Tre Norwood was No. 245 to Pittsburgh.

Creed Humphrey to Kansas City

Former Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey could be the starting center for a Super Bowl team this fall.

Humphrey was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs, who played in last year’s Super Bowl, in the second round as the No. 63 overall pick of the NFL Draft Friday.

Humphrey is the eighth OU offensive lineman drafted under offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh over the past seven seasons, and sixth over the last four drafts. The only Sooner offensive lineman drafted higher than Humphrey over the last eight years was Cody Ford, who was taken in the second round (No. 38 overall) in 2019 by Buffalo.

“Really, I couldn’t ask for a better organization to go to. I was extremely pumped up,” Humphrey said. “Obviously the Chiefs have so much talent, and everything is just run really well with the coaching staff and the GM. Everyone does a great job up there and it’s a winning culture just like OU is. So I was extremely excited to go to a place like that.”

From Shawnee, the 6-4, 302-pound Humphrey, who is the first OU center drafted since Chris Chester was taken in the second round (No. 56 overall) in 2006 by Baltimore, was a member of four Big 12 championship teams and three College Football Playoff squads.

Humphrey will be reunited with former fellow OU offensive lineman Orlando Brown (they were teammates during the 2017 season), who was traded to Kansas City.

“I’m so pumped to be back on the same team as Orlando,” said Humphrey. “That’s just so special. And I get to snap to Patrick Mahomes, who’s a superstar and a such a great competitor. So I’m excited for all that.”

The two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection (2019 and ’20) earned 2019 second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation.. As a redshirt junior in 2020, Humphrey was an AP third-team All-American.

“Creed was certainly one of our leaders the last couple of years,” said Riley. “He stuck out early in his career, became the starting center and developed into a really good all-around player and a good leader. He’s certainly one of the more talented offensive linemen we’ve had come through our program. I think he’ll have a long and very positive career in the NFL.”

Perkins to the Patriots

The New England Patriots have a reputation for finding underrated gems in the NFL Draft and they may have one in former Oklahoma defensive Ronnie Perkins.

The Patriots drafted Perkins in the third round as the No. 96 pick overall last Friday.

Humphrey and Perkins are the 17th and 18th OU draft picks of the head coaching era of Coach Lincoln Rile of OU

Perkins is OU’s highest-drafted defensive end since Dan Cody was selected No. 53 overall in 2005 by Baltimore. He played in 33 career games over the last three seasons (25 starts), helping the Sooners to three Big 12 titles and two College Football Playoff appearances.

“It was a real nerve-racking night,” Perkins said. “I saw a lot of guys get picked in front of me, but I just kept my faith in God and kept my head up and the Patriots came and got me. It’s really a dream come true to go play for a coach like Coach (Bill) Belichick.”

Perkins had to sit out the first five games in 2020, but over the final six games he logged 24 tackles (16 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss (for 49 yards), 5.5 sacks (for 32 yards) and nine quarterback hurries. He averaged 0.9 sacks, 1.8 tackles for loss and 1.5 QB hurries in those contests.

“I had a good sense they were interested in me, and they were one of the last teams that interviewed me,” Perkins said of the Patriots. “So I had a good feeling about them coming into the draft.

“It’s a storied organization. It’s a blessing to go a place like that where everyone is held to a high standard. It’s really all I could ask for as a football player.”

Riley predicted big things ahead.

“Ronnie was a leader and impact player in our program for the last couple years,” said Riley. “He’s really developed into an outstanding edge player. He’s equally good in pass rush as he is in defending the run game.”

Rhamondre Stevenson to New England

Rhamondre Stevenson didn’t play a lot for OU but he rushed 165 times for 1,180 yards (7.2 per carry) and 13 touchdowns, while catching 28 passes for 298 yards (10.6 per reception). He ranked fifth nationally in yards per rush (7.2) over the 2019 and 2020 seasons combined (minimum of 150 carries).

He was suspended for the first five games of the 2020 season, but over the final six contests he rushed 101 times for a team-high 665 yards and seven touchdowns (110.8 yards per game and 6.6 yards per carry).

“Rhamondre had a short career here in a lot of ways, but he did really make the most of his time,” said Riley. “He broke so many tackles. I think that’s probably the biggest thing that stands out for him – he’s always had the ability to break tackles to get around guys, to run through guys. He has a very low center of gravity and just not much to tackle. He really improved his body, his conditioning level and his understanding of our offense, which allowed him to have a really strong back half of the season for us this past year.”

Tre Brown to Seattle

Brown, from Tulsa, played in 51 games with 33 starts (each of his last 32 contests). A 2020 second-team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and media, and a 2018 second-team All-Big 12 pick by coaches as a kick returner, Brown finished his career with 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, four interceptions and 31 pass breakups (he ranks sixth in school history). He served as the team’s primary kickoff returner his sophomore and junior seasons, and finished his career with 55 returns for 1,207 yards for an average of 21.9 yards and a long of 86.

“Tre really grew a lot throughout his career here,” said Riley. “He came in as a talented guy and left as a guy who was much more technically sound. He really played consistently for us in the defensive secondary this past year. He made a lot of big plays. He was a big factor in the special teams game as well, which I think had the interest of several NFL teams. I think he’ll do a great job in both of those areas with Seattle.”

Tre Norwood to Pittsburgh

Norwood played multiple defensive back positions in 39 games and making 24 starts. He finished his career with 111 tackles (74 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss, six interceptions (for 103 yards) and 15 pass breakups.

The Fort Smith, Ark., product missed the 2019 season due to injury but in 2020 he tied for the Big 12 lead and tied for third nationally with five interceptions, all of which came in final six games. He also finished with 23 total tackles and two pass breakups.

Norwood got Cotton Bowl Outstanding Defensive Player honors after returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown and adding two tackles in the victory over Florida.

“It was fun to see Tre bounce back from such a tough injury two years ago and really become a great player for us,” said Riley.