A long-tenured Sooner is headed to the NFL, just six picks after one of his longtime teammates.

Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 112th overall pick pick in the NFL Draft on Friday. He's the second Sooner to be drafted, following linebacker Danny Stutsman. Stutsman was selected moments earlier by the New Orleans Saints with the 112th overall pick.

Bowman is the first OU safety to be drafted since Delarrin Turner-Yell in 2022 and only the second since 2009. His selection comes after a successful four-year career with the Sooners, over which he established himself as one of the top safeties in college football.

Bowman was an immediate impact player when he arrived as a four-star prospect in 2021. He rose atop the depth chart at defensive back as a freshman, starting seven games while recording 22 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 362 snaps. He cemented himself as a full-time starter over his final three seasons, finishing with 199 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 11 interceptions. He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2023 and was an All-SEC Third Team selection in 2024.

His tenure included a litany of highlight plays. Arguably his best play came against BYU in 2023, when he intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown — a critical play in OU's eventual 31-24 victory.

That was one of his six interceptions for Bowman in his junior season, and one of three pick-sixes. Bowman, along with Ethan Downs and Stutsman, formed an elite trio for OU's defense of players that started at least three seasons and spent all four years in Norman.

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