If you watched Oklahoma’s defense the last three seasons, there’s a strong chance safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was on the field.

A model of consistency, Turner-Yell had the trust of the staff and was always among the top guys in number of snaps played.

He’s hoping to take that consistency to the NFL, chosen in the fifth round at No. 152 overall by the Denver Broncos on Saturday afternoon.

Turner-Yell joins Nik Bonitto in Denver as Bonitto was picked in the second round.

2021 stats: 52 tackles, 2.5 TFL, three INT

Career stats: 191 tackles, 10 TFL, .5 sacks, four INT

There were a lot of questions about Turner-Yell coming out of high school. Wondering about his size and his physicality, would he be a fit?

Turner-Yell answered that question time and time again. Because not only did he find a home, he became a three-year starter and the defense always looked a lot different whenever he wasn’t out there.

Slowly but surely, Turner-Yell started to become someone who could do more than just help quarterback the defense. He started to make those game-changing plays, and he took his game to a different level as a senior.

An injury derailed him a bit, but Turner-Yell had three of his four career interceptions as a senior, including two in the final three regular season games.

He overachieved from his high school ranking and is someone who put in all the time and effort to become someone even considered to be chosen in the fifth round.

Best game

2021 vs. Iowa State: 28-21 win. When Turner-Yell came back from his injury, he was a much different player. He had been effective before, but he became a difference maker down the stretch. In this one, he had a career-high 11 tackles and an interception, including a monster stop on fourth down that showed how valuable he could be against the run and as a tackler.