NEW YORK (AP) -With almost every draft projection showing Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy in the top three spots, a big night is brewing for the Big 12.
And that’s even before Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, Texas’ Earl Thomas or Oklahoma’s Trent Williams are mentioned behind the two Oklahoma teammates and the Nebraska defensive tackle.
At least one authoritative mock draft – by SportingNews.com – has Big 12 players going in the first six spots and seven in the top 10, adding in linebacker Sergio Kindle of Texas.
“It shows you that the Big 12 is legit,” McCoy said Wednesday. “The Big 12 always has questions – ‘Aw, they not tough enough. They don’t play football there.”’
While the Big 12 hasn’t exactly taken a beating in public perception, the league still hasn’t had a No. 1 pick. Ever.
Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the SEC has had five No. 1 picks and the Big Ten has had three. Heck, even the WAC (David Carr, Fresno State) and Mountain West (Alex Smith, Utah) have gotten into the act.
national titles and many more appearances in title games.
Until now. Barring a major surprise from the Rams, who hold the first spot, a Big 12 player will finally be No. 1.
It could even be McCoy, though he’s on record favoring teammate Bradford.
He’s just happy to see his league finally get its due.
“It just shows that we actually can play football in the Big 12,” McCoy said.
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SOONER 1-2 PUNCH: If quarterback Sam Bradford and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy go 1-2 in the draft, then Oklahoma would become the fourth school to send a pair of players to the NFL as the No. 1 and No. 2 picks.
The last time it occurred was 2000, when Penn State DE Courtney Brown was No. 1 (Cleveland) and LB teammate LaVarr Arrington was No. 2 (Washington). The other schools packing a 1-2 punch were: Nebraska in 1984 with WR Irving Fryar (No. 1, New England) and T Dean Steinkuhler (No. 2, Houston); and Michigan State in 1967 with DT Bubba Smith (No. 1, Baltimore Colts) and RB Clint Jones (No. 2, Minnesota).
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unkett (New England, 1971).
Twice, a pair of Heisman winners were picked in the same draft: WR Desmond Howard and QB Ty Detmer in 1992; and RB Reggie Bush and QB Matt Leinart in 2006.
Howard was Washington’s first-round pick (No. 4 overall) and Detmer was Green Bay’s ninth-rounder (230). Bush was New Orleans first-rounder (2) and Leinart was Arizona’s first-rounder (10).
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OFFENSIVE FRONT: With plenty of quality offensive linemen in this draft, a record for most OL’s picked among the first 10 selections could fall. The record is three, first set in 1997 and equaled in 2002 and 2009.
Offensive linemen who might go in the top 10 include tackles Trent Williams (Oklahoma), Russell Okung (Oklahoma State), Bruce Campbell (Maryland) and Bryan Bulaga (Iowa). Guards touted for the first round and maybe the top 10 include Mike Iupati (Idaho) and Jon Asamoah (Illinois).
Last year, Jason Smith (St. Louis) was No. 2, Andre Smith (Cincinnati) was No. 6 and Eugene Monroe (Jacksonville) was No. 8.
The record for most offensive linemen taken in the first round is 10 in 1968.
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Q: Which school has the record of six players taken in the first round?
A: Miami in 2004: Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Vernon Carey and Vince Wilfork.
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1990 to QB Matthew Stafford in 2009. … The top colleges with the most first-round picks are USC (63), Miami (56) and Ohio State (53).
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MORE OU MADNESS: If Sam Bradford is the No. 1 pick, it will be the second time one school has produced the top choice in consecutive NBA and NFL drafts. OU’s Blake Griffin was the top pick in last year’s NBA draft. The only other time this occurred was in 1971-72, when Notre Dame’s Austin Carr was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and the Irish’s Walt Patulski was No. 1 in the ’72 NFL draft. … Before this draft, Oklahoma’s two No. 1 overall picks were Lee Roy Selmon in 1976 by Tampa Bay and Billy Sims in 1980 by Detroit (Brian Bosworth was the top pick in the 1987 supplemental draft).
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AP Sports Writer Richard Rosenblatt contributed to this story.
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