OU defensive lineman selected by San Francisco 49ers

OU defensive lineman selected by San Francisco 49ers

The third former Oklahoma Sooners player is off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After the Kansas City Chiefs chose defensive lineman R Mason Thomas 40th overall, and the Houston Texas picked offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu 106th overall, another player in the trenches has found his NFL home.

The San Francisco 49ers drafted defensive lineman Gracen Halton in the fourth round (107th overall) on Saturday. Halton spent four seasons with the Sooners, signing with OU as part of the 2022 recruiting class, which was head coach Brent Venables' first in Norman. Under the tutelage of Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates, he became a star during his last two years in Norman.

Halton turned into a disruptive force at defensive tackle, logging seven TFLs, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery during his senior season. He's great against the run and became an emerging pass-rusher as his career at OU wore on. He heads to San Francisco, where the 49ers have had some excellent defenses in recent years when they've been healthy.

With Nwaiwu and Halton being picked in succession, this marks the second straight season that OU has had players go with back-to-back selections. Last year, it was linebacker and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (the only two Sooners selected in 2025) getting drafted in the fourth round at at 112th and 113th overall, respectively.