Bob Stoops on the NFL Draft

Bob Stoops sent out a statement midway through the NFL Draft. Here’s what he said:

“I am so happy for these guys mostly because of the way they represent themselves. They are a credit to our university and our football program. I could not be more pleased for them. This accomplishment is the result of hard work and dedication that these guys have put forth since they day they arrived on our campus. They have earned their way to this level.

“I also want to recognize our coaching staff, both the position coaches and the strength and conditioning staff. They have done an incredible job of developing our players and positioning them to have this kind of success on draft day. When you combine players and coaches who are dedicated toward the common goal of getting better every day, players realize their lifelong dreams.

“This was historic night, a statement for our program. Everyone associated with our program should be proud of what was accomplished in this draft. I am just overwhelmed and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to get to know these guys and coach them. To think that four guys who came in as members of the same recruiting class went in the first 21 picks is amazing.

“I also want to salute these guys for staying in school. I don’t know how you could look at this draft and think that these players did anything but improve themselves by staying for another year. And each of them also has a degree or is very close to having one. We tell them to ‘have their cake and eat it too,’ and these four guys did that very thing. They had a fulfilling college career, athletically and academically, and now have an opportunity to play in the NFL.”

On Sam Bradford:
“Sam is special. He is blessed with all of the attributes you like in a quarterback. He’s athletic, smart and mature. We throw words like those around pretty easily, but he possesses all of those qualities at an extremely high level. There is great comfort for a team and coaching staff with someone like that directing the offense. Leadership manifests itself in a number of ways, but first and foremost, a leader must have the respect of the team for the way he prepares, plays and conducts himself. Sam earned that kind of respect very early in his career here. From a playing perspective, I always appreciated his pinpoint accuracy. It was uncanny, and part of the reason he was so accurate was that he understood how to read defenses and find the best throw.”