Russell Okung
| No. 76 Seattle Seahawks | |
| Offensive tackle | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: October 7, 1987 | |
| Place of birth: Fort Bend, Texas | |
| Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | Weight: 310 lb (141 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Oklahoma State | |
| NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | |
| Debuted in 2010 for the Seattle Seahawks | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of week 17, 2011 | |
| Games played | 22 |
| Games started | 22 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Russell Okung (pronounced /oʊˈkʊŋ/ oh-KUUNG; born October 7, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
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[edit] High school career
Okung was born in Fort Bend, Texas. He attended George Bush High School in Fort Bend, where he was named first-team all-Greater Houston and first-team all-district. Considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com,[1] Okung was listed as the No. 33 offensive tackle prospect in the class of 2006.[2] At 250 pounds (113 kg) coming out of high school, he did not possess the prototypical tackle bulk.[3] Okung was recruited by a number of high major schools, including Oklahoma, LSU and Nebraska. He committed to Oklahoma State in January 2006.
[edit] College career
As a true freshman, Okung moved into the starting lineup for the first time against Kansas and held the position of right tackle for the rest of the season (eight straight starts). He ended the season by being voted as a member of All-Big 12 freshman team (by The Sporting News) and was named the Dick Bogert Award winner as Oklahoma State’s top freshman.
In his sophomore season he started all thirteen games, having been moved permanently to left tackle. The Cowboys’ offensive line gave up just five sacks in eight Big 12 games to lead the league in that category. Okung earned honorable mention all-Big 12 honors (by coaches). He was also named to the Rivals.com all-bowl team after holding Indiana’s Greg Middleton, the NCAA’s sack leader, without a tackle in the 2007 Insight Bowl victory.[4]
As a junior, Okung led Oklahoma State with 71 knockdown blocks, and was named a first-team all-conference selection by the coaches. He also was named to Pro Football Weekly′s 2008 All-America team.[5] Okung currently has started 34 straight games for the longest active streak on the team.
In 2009, Okung was listed at No. 1 on Rivals.com′s preseason offensive tackle power ranking.[6] He was also named to the 2009 Outland Trophy watch list.[7] On October 14, 2009, Okung was named one of twelve semifinalists—and the only offensive lineman—for the Lombardi Award.[8] He was also named to The Sporting News midseason college football All-American team.[9]
In a game against Texas A&M on October 10, Okung held then-NCAA sack leader, Von Miller, without a quarterback sack. That effort was the second time during his career he has not allowed a sack against the nation's leader at the time. Against Texas on October 31, Okung held the Longhorn pass rush, including All-American candidate Sergio Kindle, without a quarterback sack. According to Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline, that performance "has solidified his projection as the top senior tackle" in the 2010 NFL Draft.[10] On November 24, 2009, Okung was named one of three finalists for the 2009 Outland Trophy, alongside Mike Iupati and Ndamukong Suh.[11]
On December 1, 2009, Okung was named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches.[12] He also received unanimous 2009 All-American honors.[13] Despite tweaking his knee in practice earlier that week, Okung played in the 2010 Cotton Bowl Classic to end his career at Oklahoma State with a streak of 47 straight starts.[14][15]
[edit] Professional career
[edit] 2010 NFL Draft
Okung was considered one of the best offensive tackles available in the 2010 NFL Draft,[16][17][18][19][20] and drew comparisons to D'Brickashaw Ferguson.[21] According to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, Okung "will start and play a lot of years in the NFL."[22] NFL.com's Bucky Brooks even projected Okung as the No. 1 pick overall,[23] as did Scout.com′s Chris Steuber.[24] Sports Illustrated′s Tony Pauline described Okung as "a complete offensive tackle with a large upside," who "stands out in pass protection while also dominating as a run blocker".[25] The Kansas City Chiefs were believed to be one of the NFL teams to target Okung in the draft,[26] as well as the Washington Redskins.[27]
However, Okung was eventually selected 6th overall by the Seattle Seahawks, making him only the second Oklahoma State offensive lineman ever picked in the first round of an NFL Draft, along with John Ward, who was selected 25th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 1970, and the highest OSU draft pick since Barry Sanders went 3rd overall in the 1989 NFL Draft.[28]
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5⅜ in | 307 lb | 36 in | 10½ in | 5.17 s | 1.79 s | 2.93 s | 38 rep | ||||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine.[29] No shuttles/jumps, b/c of groin injury. | |||||||||||||||||||
[edit] Seattle Seahawks
- 2010 season
On August 6, 2010, Okung was signed by the Seahawks to a six-year contract worth a maximum of $58 million, with more than $29 million in guaranteed money.[30] He was injured 6 games in his first NFL season high-ankle sprains on both ankles, but played well in the remaining 10. He saw limited action in the Seahawks' fourth game of the season in St. Louis against the Rams on October 3, before leaving the game in the first half after re-injuring his ankle.
- 2011 season
Russell Okung started the first twelve games in the regular season for the Seattle Seahawks. On December 1, 2011, Okung suffered a season ending injury late in Seattle's 31-14 victory over Philadelphia. Trent Cole flipped Okung over his back which resulted in Okung sufffering a torn right pectoral muscle. He was put on Injury Reserve after the game.
[edit] Personal
Russell Okung is the son of Dorothy Akpabio and Victor Okung. Okung, who graduated in 2009, was a marketing major at OSU.[31] He is of Nigerian ancestry.[32]
[edit] References
- ^ "Russell Okung Profile", Rivals.com, http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=40016&sport=1
- ^ "Offensive tackles 2006", Rivals.com, January 30, 2006, http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1150.
- ^ "Russell Okung Recruiting Profile", ESPN, February 1, 2006, http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=35168.
- ^ "Coming up big in the biggest games", Rivals.com, January 9, 2008, http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=759478
- ^ Nawrocki, Nolan (December 22, 2008), "Pro Football Weekly's 2008 All-America team", Pro Football Weekly, http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/College+Football/College+Football+Extras/2008/allamerica.htm
- ^ Buchanan, Olin; Dienhart, Tom; Fox, David; Huguenin, Mike; Megargee, Steve (August 22, 2009), "Preseason offensive tackle power rankings", Rivals.com, http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=978914
- ^ Richardson, Steve (August 11, 2009), 2009 Outland Trophy Watch List Announced, Football Writers Association of America, http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2009/outland090811.html
- ^ "Okung Named Lombardi Semi-Finalist", OK State Athletics, October 14, 2009, http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101409aaa.html
- ^ "SN's midseason All-Americans: Offense", Sporting News, October 20, 2009, http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-10-20/sns-midseason-all-americans-offense
- ^ Pauline, Tony (November 2, 2009), "Sam Bradford, 2010 NFL Draft, rising, sliding prospects", Sports Illustrated, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/11/02/risers/
- ^ Griffin, Tom (November 24, 2009), "Okung, Suh named Outland Trophy finalists", ESPN, http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/14004/okung-suh-named-outland-trophy-finalists
- ^ "Okung Named Big 12 O-Lineman of the Year", Oklahoma State Athletics, December 1, 2009, http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120109aaa.html
- ^ Griffin, Tim (December 17, 2009), "Seven Big 12 players make All-America list", ESPN.com, http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/8482/seven-big-12-players-make-consensus-all-america-list
- ^ Chatmon, Brandon; Helsley, John (December 31, 2009), "OSU's Russell Okung likely to play in Cotton Bowl", The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com/osus-russell-okung-likely-to-play-in-cotton-bowl/article/3428640
- ^ "McCluster's 182 yards, two TDs propel Ole Miss to Cotton Bowl victory", ESPN, January 2, 2010, http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=300020145
- ^ Prisco, Pete (April 27, 2009), "Prisco's 2010 draft preview: QB will land No. 1 spot", CBSSports.com, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/11684517
- ^ Cooney, Frank (May 11, 2009), "Who's next? Looking ahead to the best of the 2010 draft class", USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-05-05-2010-draft-preview_N.htm
- ^ Perloff, Andrew (April 28, 2009), "Sam Bradford goes No.1 to St. Louis Rams in 2010 NFL Mock Draft", Sports Illustrated, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andrew_perloff/04/28/2010/index.html
- ^ "NFL Draft – 2010 OT Draft Prospects", CBSSports.com, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2010_OT
- ^ Muench, Steve (December 15, 2009), "Okung leads trio of top-notch OTs", ESPN Insider, http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4744685&name=nfl_draft
- ^ "Draft Profile: Russell Okung", CBSSports.com, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1133637
- ^ Brandt, Gil, "Top offensive tackle prospects for 2010 hail from the Big 12", NFL.com, http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d811477a4
- ^ Brooks, Bucky, "Never too soon to look at top prospects for next year's draft", NFL.com, http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d81032985
- ^ Steuber, Chris (May 1, 2009), "2010 Mock Draft", Scout.com, http://profootball.scout.com/a.z?s=127&p=2&c=861937
- ^ Pauline, Tony (October 22, 2009), "2010 NFL Draft: Top 50 prospects", SI.com, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/10/21/draft.prospects/index.html
- ^ Teicher, Adam (December 28, 2009), "Chiefs survey options as likely No. 3 pick in NFL Draft", The Kansas City Star, http://www.kansascity.com/669/story/1654293.html[dead link]
- ^ Maese, Rick; Reid, Jason (February 26, 2010), "Redskins will have plenty of offensive linemen from which to choose", Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022505463.html.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (February 26, 2010), "Okung is impressive: Oklahoma State offensive tackle regarded as top 10 talent", National Football Post, http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Wilson-Okung-is-impressive.html.
- ^ "Russell Okung Combine Profile", NFL.com, http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/russell-okung?id=497032, retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Russell Okung, Seattle Seahawks agree to six-year deal". ESPN.com. August 6, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp10/news/story?id=5442653.
- ^ Nulph, Scott (August 8, 2009), "After passing up NFL, OSU’s Okung eager for final year", Stillwater NewsPress, http://www.stillwater-newspress.com/osusports/local_story_220212735.html
- ^ 2010 NFL Draft: Player Profiles Overtime Africa, April 13, 2010
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