Former Oklahoma DL Perrion Winfrey Among NFL Network's Top 50 Draft Prospects

Winfrey landed at No. 45 on Daniel Jeremiah's big board, citing him as someone with "Pro Bowl potential."

As the calendar prepares to shift to March, the lead up to the 2022 NFL Draft begins to ramp up with the scouting combine and team pro days right around the corner.

On Monday, NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah took a stab at ranking his top-50 draft prospects as things stand today - with former Oklahoma defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey making the cut.

Updated Top 50 prospects https://t.co/ByhdptMW0r

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 28, 2022

The former JUCO transfer came in at No. 45 on Jeremiah’s big board as the only Sooner to make the list.

“Winfrey is a long, athletic interior lineman who plays the game with passion and energy,” Jeremiah wrote. “He is a tough evaluation because of the scheme at Oklahoma. There is a lot of slanting and lateral movement. That results in some penetration and disruption, but it also gets him washed out of a lot of plays. His pad level is too high, but he has the foot quickness to beat blockers and he flashes some power in his hands. He was much more impressive at the Reese's Senior Bowl. Winfrey was allowed to work up the field and he was pretty dominant, bringing home the game MVP award. In the run game, he has the length to stack and control single blocks, but he needs to improve his awareness versus angle blocks and double teams. Overall, Winfrey isn't a finished product but he has Pro Bowl potential.”

As Jeremiah referenced in his article, Winfrey was the single-biggest winner at the Reese’s Senior Bowl earlier this month.

Perrion Winfrey / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

After wowing in practices, he brought the momentum into the game itself becoming the first defensive MVP of the game since 2014.

Last year was somewhat underwhelming for Winfrey given the lofty expectations that were cast upon him coming in, but he always managed to show flashes of a player with potential to be truly great.

Perhaps that was a scheme issue from Alex Grinch and Lincoln Riley, something Winfrey himself as touched on, but either way it’s clear his stock has risen substantially since the end of the season.

Winfrey’s 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks were good enough to land him on the All-Big 12 second team a year ago, locking him in as a player who would look to play at the next level rather than returning to Norman for another season.

Next up for Winfrey, along with ten other of his former teammates, is the NFL Scouting Combine which begins on Tuesday in Indianapolis.