Drake Stoop’s career has defied tradition. That includes his first step into the NFL.
Stoops, six years after beginning his collegiate career as a walk-on at Oklahoma, agreed to join as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams, according to his agent, Kelli Masters.
Stoops went undrafted on Saturday’s last day of the NFL Draft, but signed as a free agency with the Rams immediately after the seventh round.
Stoops’ signing with the Rams is the next step in an unlikely journey for Stoops, who began his career as a walk-on receiver and was best known as the son of renowned Sooners coach Bob Stoops. Stoops, on the other hand, has worked hard in the six years since he first stepped foot on the Oklahoma campus as a student to break out of his father’s shadow and build a reputation for himself among the Sooners.
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He declined scholarship offers from Ohio, Western Kentucky, Air Force, Iowa, and Memphis after graduating from Norman North High, instead opting to walk on with the program he was intimately aware with from seeing his father’s teams as a child. Rather than becoming a footnote in OU history as the walk-on son of the program’s winningest coach, Stoops established his own legacy with the Sooners.
He participated as a walk-on for three years, seeing action in a limited role for the offense. Stoops was awarded a scholarship on the field at Owen Field at the completion of spring practice in 2021. The scholarship followed a pandemic-shortened 2020 season in which he caught 15 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
Stoops’ involvement grew significantly over his final two seasons at Oklahoma. He caught 39 catches for 393 yards and three scores in 2022, starting ten of the Sooners’ thirteen games. He returned for a sixth season and made the most of it last fall, posting the most complete season of his career and establishing himself as one of the Big 12’s finest wide receivers. Last season, Stoops caught 84 passes for 962 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Sooners in all three categories while ranking sixth in the Big 12 in receiving yards, second in catches, and second in touchdowns. He was one of just ten players in the country with at least 82 catches and 10 touchdowns last season.
Stoops was named first-team All-Big 12 last season and was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (given to the nation’s finest player who started his career as a walk-on). He concluded the season as the nation’s 46th-highest graded receiver, according to Pro Football Focus, with an 81.5 overall rating and the 23rd-best receiving grade (84.4) among FBS wideouts. His 78.5% catch rate (84 catches on 107 targets) was eighth among all FBS receivers with at least 80 targets last season.
Stoops may lack classic slot size and speed, measuring 5-foot-10 with a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, but his short-area agility and ability to get open set him apart. Stoops shone at Oklahoma’s Pro Day last month, particularly in agility and position exercises. His 4.25-second 20-yard shuttle and 7.01-second 3-cone drill would have rated in the top ten among wide receivers at the NFL Combine; his short-shuttle time would have been seventh, while his 3-cone time would have been eighth.
“When you put on the tape or watch me, you’ll see that I have good football speed,” Stoops said following Pro Day. “I show good speed there, which I think matters the most.”
Stoops has attempted to emulate other slot receivers with similar small stature who were overlooked but eventually made it to the NFL, such as Hunter Renfrow (a fifth-round pick in 2019), Danny Amendola (an undrafted free agent), and Julian Edelman (a seventh-round pick in 2009. His testing results also contrasted favorably to those of former Texas Tech wide receiver Wes Welker, who went undrafted in 2004 before playing a twelve seasons in the NFL.
“At the end of the day,” Stoops said last month, “all I need is an opportunity.”
Although fall camp is over three months away, Florida’s roster for the 2024 season is essentially complete, with possible additions in the near future. Following a 5-7 performance in Year 2 of the Billy Napier era, the Gators dramatically rebuilt their squad this offseason in the hopes of improving on last season’s record.
With spring training completed, Swamp247 is counting down Florida’s 24 most crucial players for the 2024 season, beginning with offensive tackle Austin Barber at No. 21.
