Oklahoma CB D.J. Graham is 'Bought In' on Defense and is Now a 'Matchup Nightmare'

Sooner sophomore said although he wanted to be a receiver when he came to OU, he now understands his value and future is on the defensive side of the ball.

Just to be clear, D.J. Graham is no wide receiver.

But man, what might have been.

“I had wide receiver aspirations,” Graham said Tuesday in a video press conference. “I wanted to come to OU and play under Lincoln Riley and play receiver.”

When he was a high school freshman at Keller Central in Fort Worth, Graham was named District 3A-6 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. As both a sophomore and junior, he was first-team all-district as a wideout and second-team as a corner.

Labeled in recruiting circles as an “athlete,” Graham was the 22nd-best athlete prospect in the country, according to 247 Sports.

But instead of offense, he came to Oklahoma to play under Alex Grinch and Roy Manning — and is quickly becoming a star at cornerback.

“It was tough a little bit,” Graham said. “It was just a little, like, I don’t know, you could tell I really still wanted to play receiver a little bit. And coach Grinch and coach Manning, they had to sit me down and tell me, ‘Look man, you could really use what you learned on the offensive side of the ball and you can implement it on the defensive side of the ball.’ Once I once I heard that, and kept hearing it, they were still in my ear and all that.

“And then also me having a little bit of success, it sort of pushed me over more to the defensive side.”

OU’s 6-foot, 193-pound sophomore is in line for a starting job going into 2021. He replaced Tre Brown last season in the Cotton Bowl and performed well. He got plenty of time as a true freshman backup during the Sooners’ final eight games, frequently acquitting himself with aggressive hits and sure tackles.

D.J. Graham :: Joshua R. Gateley / OU Athletics

His first career interception against Baylor showed instinct, athleticism and good hands — receiver hands.

“Last year when I got that pick that really boosted my confidence like out the roof,” Graham said. “I walked into the locker room thinking I was on top of the world for a little bit, and I tried to carry that on to the next game and the next game.”

Graham chose Oklahoma over Georgia, Ohio State, LSU and others. In his high school career, he eclipsed 2,000 yards receiving and scored 17 touchdowns.

But he said he began to let all that go when he got to OU and started climbing the depth chart and playing in games as a corner.

‘I try to look at it as, you know, I'm a receiver; I still have a little bit of that in me when the ball’s in the air,” Graham said.

He said he now studies the game from a different perspective — where is a receiver lined up, what are their hands doing while he runs, is his head down or up? — and he’s picked up some subtle nuances.

“DJ's a matchup nightmare for some of the receivers,” said OU wideout Theo Wease. “Long guy, long, rangy guy. Used to play receiver, so he definitely knows some of our tricks when we're about to cut, get into cuts and stuff like that. I’m definitely one of his biggest fans.”

Graham said Spencer Rattler never throws his direction in practice, but he said whenever the ball does come his way, that old instinct kicks in.

“Oh, for sure,” Graham said. “ … it's still like the little receiver in the back of my head. You know, it’s just really, see-ball and get-ball. Like, attack the ball at its highest point. Find the easiest route to the ball. And really, don't mind the receiver. I mean when the ball’s in the air you really just lock onto the ball.

“I really I track how the ball spins in the air so I know how to position my hands. You know, (if) it’s a tight spiral, I know how to position my hands. If the ball’s a little wobbly, you know, I'm looking at it, I'm really tracing it. But yeah, I mean, I really try to (do) like coach Manning, he told me yesterday, ‘Dude, when the ball’s in the air, turn into a receiver. You say you play receiver. Out of everyone in this whole DB room, you played receiver the most. So you got to use that.’ “

Graham can’t help himself. He probably still thinks about how things might have been different if he’d insisted on playing receiver instead of corner.

Maybe just a little.

“I could say now I'm completely bought in,” he affirmed. “I mean I do miss it though. But, you know, it's OK.”

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