The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Harrison joins a Jacksonville squad poised to make a strong Super Bowl run this year following a rebound year in 2022.
Jacksonville Among Super Bowl Favorites
The former Sooner joins the reigning AFC South champions, who finished 9-8 last season and advanced to the Divisional Round after a historic comeback over the Chargers in the Wild Card Round. Heading into 2023, the Jaguars rank among the Top 10 teams with the shortest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII at +2500, per DraftKings Oklahoma Sportsbook.
Harrison will join an offensive line blocking for QB Trevor Lawrence, who is +1600 to win the NFL’s MVP award in 2023-24. Lawrence ranked No. 9 in passing yards in 2023 with 4,113 and threw for 25 touchdowns.
Harrison was the fifth offensive tackle taken in this year’s draft, behind Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones.
The Jaguars also picked Oklahoma State DE Tyler Lacy in the fourth round, one of two Cowboy prospects to be drafted in 2023. The Rams selected the other, safety Jason Taylor II, in the seventh round.
Not Every Sooner Drafted Joined a Contender
Five Oklahoma players in total were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft: Anton Harrison, Marvin Mims, Jr., Wayna Morris, Eric Gray and Brayden Willis.
Wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. was drafted in the second round to join head coach Sean Payton and QB Russell Wilson in Denver. Mims is +5000 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023-34. The Broncos finished the 2022 NFL season 5-12 and are +4000 to win the Super Bowl.
Offensive tackle Wayna Morris joins QB Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs, who went 14-3 in 2022, are favored to repeat as Super Bowl champs at +500 odds, while Mahomes is the favorite to win MVP for the second consecutive season at +650.
Running back Eric Gray was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round, joining Saquon Barkley in the RB room. The Giants have one of the longer odds to win Super Bowl LVIII at +5000. The G-Men (9-7-1) made their first playoff appearance since 2016 last season and advanced to the Divisional Round, where they lost to the eventual NFC champion Eagles.
Tight end Brayden Willis was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round. Willis is among the longest odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at +10000. The 49ers have the third-shortest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII at +800. The Niners went 13-4 last season and advanced to the NFC championship game behind the late-season play of rookie QB Brock Purdy, who was last draft’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” a title given to the last player taken in Round 7.
