Top 10 OU OT Signees of Rivals Era

With Thursday's commitment of 2017 Gonzales (La.) East Ascension OT Adrian Ealy, the now No. 4 ranked Oklahoma class of 2017 that contained three interior offensive linemen all ranked in the top five at their position has now added a 6-foot-7 Rivals250 offensive tackle from SEC country.

During Bob Stoops' tenure in Norman, he's had many offensive line coaches come and go, but his best teams have always seemed to be anchored by top flight offensive tackles, which was no different for his 2016 Big 12 Championship Sooners and the conference's offensive lineman of the year, Orlando Brown. Brown, and now Ealy, are part of a legacy that includes multiple top five NFL Draft selections, All-Americans, and national award-winners.

Now, not all of them began that way. Both top five draft picks, Trent Williams and Lane Johnson, won't be on the list, as neither were even listed as offensive tackles. Williams was a three-star offensive guard out of Longview (Texas) and Johnson was an unranked quarterback from Groveton (Texas). In fact, this list is an accurate example of how difficult it is to evaluate high school offensive tackles. When compiling this group, it became readily apparent that Oklahoma's successes at offensive tackle have often come through position switches like Johnson or Jammal Brown, the JUCO ranks like with Phil Loadholt, or tackles outside the Rivals250 like Daryl Williams and Bobby Evans.

If Ealy's ranking holds true, he will actually be the No. 6 highest ranked offensive tackle commitment for Oklahoma since 2002. And if 2018 Southmoore (Okla.) commitment Brey Walker ultimately ends up in Norman with his current ranking - he'd be No. 1.

As always with these Top 10s, the rankings are done empirically through the Rivals database and its rankings. There is no subjectivity and personal opinions reflected in their order - with national rankings superseding positional ones.

Breakdown: Although Keith did not originally qualify out of high school and would attend NEO, the McAlester native eventually wound up wearing the crimson and cream after signing again in 2005 out of junior college. However, Keith ultimately decided to transfer to the University of Northern Iowa, where he earned third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press in 2007 for the undefeated Panthers. The Arizona Cardinals selected Keith in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, where he would stay for three seasons. The former No. 6 player in the state of Oklahoma's football career ended after a short stint with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013.

Breakdown: Despite some early looks in Norman at offensive tackle, Robinson spent the majority of his Sooner career at offensive guard - where the Georgia native excelled. Robinson was a key part of Oklahoma's high-powered offenses under Sam Bradford in 2007 and 2008, earning first-team All-American honors in each season. In 2009, Sports Illustrated even named Robinson as an offensive guard for the 2000's All-Decade team. Robinson struggled to find the same success in the NFL, however, and left the league just three seasons after the Carolina Panthers selected him in the fifth round. The former Oklahoma star has made a nice career in Arena Football and currently plays for the Portland Steel.

Breakdown: Almost immediately after arriving in Oklahoma, Lebby's playing career was cut short with an injury and so the Andrews (Texas) native finished out his four years in Norman as a student assistant coach - not dissimilar than the opportunity provided to Tay Evans this season. However, Lebby is known to OU fans not through his stint as a lineman, but as the current Passing Game Coordinator at the University of Baylor who was suspended for the first half of the 2015 Oklahoma vs. Baylor game, because he illegally attended the Oklahoma vs. Tulsa game earlier that year on the Golden Hurricane sideline.

Breakdown: Swenson arrival on the Oklahoma radar came late in the 2016 recruiting cycle, but the Sooners were still able to sway Swenson over offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. The highest rated offensive tackle currently on the Sooner roster will be a redshirt freshman in 2017 and was singled out by offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to the media as a young player who was making a great impression during bowl practices.

Breakdown: The former Duncan Demon came to Norman as one of the more promising offensive tackle prospects to come out of the Sooner State in some time with his massive 6-foot-6, 292-pound frame. Dismuke was met with horrible news following his redshirt season, however, when he injured his knee in a non-contact drill ahead of the Insight.com Bowl against Iowa. Oklahoma would ultimately offer Dismuke a medical exemption, as doctors diagnosed that his knee would never be able to fully heal again.

Breakdown: Thompson, a former all-state track and field performer in both shotput and discus, is perhaps the most athletic member of this list. It took little time for the Pflugerville star to enter the Oklahoma two-deep as a redshirt freshman before earning a starting job the following year. The Big 12 coaches picked Thompson as a first-team All-Conference member in his senior season and the Minnesota Vikings would select him in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. After spending time with the Jaguars, Lions, and Saints, Thompson is currently a practice squad member for the Carolina Panthers.

Breakdown: Bailey, a high school teammate of Michael Crabtree, chose Oklahoma over strong pushes from Notre Dame and Texas A&M. The Dallas Carter product was actually thought to be a viable part of the Sooner two deep as a true freshman at offensive guard, but was forced to quit football altogether due to a medical hardship.

Breakdown: During Brandon's time in Norman, he was seen as their heir apparent at offensive tackle following the departure of Phil Loadholt after the 2008 season. The former No. 10 offensive tackle in the country would earn the starting right tackle job in 2009, but immediately struggled with six penalties in the Sooners' loss to BYU to open the season in Dallas. Brandon would bounce around the lineup all season, before starting in place of Trent Williams at left tackle for Bedlam and the Sun Bowl to end the season. Two solid performances there actually put Brandon on early Outland Trophy watch lists for 2010, however, Brandon would only play sparingly in his final season as the team's third-string offensive tackle, apparently in the infamous Stoops Dog House. Brandon would play for the Buccaneers, Bears, Cardinals, and Seahawks in the NFL through 2014 and is currently a member of the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders.

Breakdown: While often overshadowed by players such as Trent Williams, Phil Loadholt, or Duke Robinson, Braxton may not have lived up to the hype as the second highest ranked offensive tackle of the Bob Stoops' era, he certainly did his part to help the fellow Youngstown native produce one of his best seasons in Norman in 2008 when the Sooners won a Big 12 Championship, a Heisman trophy, set nearly ever offensive record, and played for a national title. Braxton would actually start nearly 20 games at offensive tackle through his junior year in 2007, before making the final switch to guard for his final season. The former two-way star, who lead his conference in scoring as a senior basketball player at Ursuline high school, would fittingly be a starting offensive guard for one of college football's highest scoring offenses in history. Braxton was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2009 before being cut that September. The former Rivals100 standout has had a few short stints with the Browns since, but has mostly made a career in the now defunct UFL, where Braxton was a two-time champion, and is currently a member of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

Breakdown: The only five-star offensive tackle signee was Good, not great for Oklahoma. He never played a down at the end of the line and spent his time as a Sooner playing all four years in the interior, starting seven games, but mostly contributing in a rotational/reserve capacity. Injuries hampered the Paris (Texas) native while in Norman and the one-time No. 3 player in Texas never seemed to be capable of playing up to his enormous potential out of high school.