The Oklahoma Sooners offense, led by quarterback John Mateer, could make waves in 2026 NFL Draft predictions as the college football season progresses, ESPN analysts predicted.
In an NFL Mock Draft broadcast on YouTube, ESPN football analysts Kevin Clark and Jordan Reid rated quarterback John Mateer among the potential “late risers” for the next NFL draft.
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“I think John Mateer and Oklahoma’s offense has real possibilities,” Clark said… “Mensah (from Duke) and Mateer are my two guys where I say would not be surprised if they’re in the top 10 this year, next year.”
Reid agreed. “Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”
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This isn’t the first time college football analysts had positive predictions for OU. Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples of On3 both ranked Mateer near the top of their lists of Top 10 Quarterbacks in College Football. Wasserman placed him at number 4, right behind the Longhorns’ Arch Manning. Staples placed him at number 6.
Wasserman predicted: “There is a legitimate chance that this is the guy holding up the Heisman at the end of the year. And I don’t say that lightly. There is a legitimate chance that Oklahoma is a playoff team because of this guy next year.”
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And football analyst Joel Klatt ranked the Sooners at #25 in his post-spring “way too early” top 25 rankings.
“A lot of people up until this point have overlooked Oklahoma in this process but I’m not going to do that,” Klatt said. “I think Oklahoma is gonna be a really good football team.”
Related: John Mateer Could Lead Sooners Into the Playoffs, Analyst Predicts
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