You knew offensive lineman Marquis Hayes was huge, but that wasn’t going to be enough to succeed at Oklahoma and get a shot in the NFL.

The development occurred as well, and Hayes earned a reputation as a mauler and physical presence at the point of attack.

He can continue doing just that, being selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 257th overall pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

2021 stats: Started all 13 games at guard

Career stats: Played 40 games, started 37

Hayes was one of them diamond in the rough discoveries by offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. And when he got Hayes to campus, he was able to tap into that potential and make him something special.

Hayes redshirted in 2017 and then took over in the 2019 season and never looked back. The final three seasons, he started every single game (37) he played and only missed one game because of injury.

He’s OK to watch when pass blocking, but it’s just fun to watch Hayes when it’s time to run the ball. He loves being physical, and he pancaked a whole bunch of defenders along the way.

Following the Alamo Bowl, Hayes did everything he could to raise his stock after what felt like a couple of uneven seasons to close his career. He started to find himself again and put himself in position to hear his name called this weekend.

Hayes watched the group before him get selected year after year, and now Hayes can add to that offensive line tradition for OU and Bedenbaugh.

Best game

2021 Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon: 47-32 win. Let’s just say it was a great way to call it a career. You want to go out with a bang, how about rushing for 322 yards and averaging 7.5 yards per carry? That’s one way to get it done. OU put up 564 yards of total offense in earning its 11th win of the season and letting Hayes and the rest of those seniors to go out in style.

He says…

“They said I’m a gap scheme guy, but they said I can work on zone scheme. But they said gap scheme is my bread and butter. When they said I fit good, I can go in there and compete for a job. Some teams said I’ve got a little start to get better, but some teams said I can come in a play right away, so it’s just different things with different coaches that they think. But more gap schemes said I’m a right away player for them.” – Hayes