Oklahoma
Chiefs Land Potential Nick Bolton Replacement in 2025 NFL Mock Draft
The Kansas City Chiefs’ current dynasty is sustained largely due to star players, coaches and front office members. With that said, some smart drafting on a yearly basis keeps the back-to-back champs in good shape. Finding good talent and cost-controlled players is paramount, which is exactly what general manager Brett Veach has done in recent cycles.
Kansas City’s 2021 draft class is a perfect example of that, but many players are now due for extensions. One, center Creed Humphrey, has already received his. Linebacker Nick Bolton is up for a new contract, but the former Missouri standout doesn’t want to worry about it before or during the 2024-25 season.
If Bolton wants to bet on himself, it could see him land in the upper echelon of linebacker deals in free agency. Is that a price tag the Chiefs should or will feel comfortable meeting? That remains to be seen. There’s a world where Kansas City needs to add a new linebacker into the fold in the spring, and a recent 2025 NFL Draft mock simulation does just that.
In his mock for CBS Sports, Ryan Wilson sends Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman to Kansas City.
“Stutsman is a really good athlete who plays with little wasted movement,” Wilson wrote. “He flashes a downhill burst, and is a wrap-up tackler. He’s also comfortable in space and can be disruptive in coverage. The Chiefs don’t have a ton of needs but Nick Bolton is in the final year of his contract.”
Stutsman, a senior out of Florida, was tracking to enter the 2024 NFL Draft but ended up returning to school for one last ride with the Sooners. He’s coming off a year that saw him earn All-Big 12 First Team honors, as well as third-team AP All-American marks and a semifinalist placement for the Lombardi Award. Stutsman is the heart and soul of the Oklahoma defense, and his leadership shows off the field too.
These guys are the backbone of our program, extremely blessed to be able to give back to them!!💪🙏 https://t.co/dIO0jck4j3
— Danny Stutsman (@FbStutsman) August 29, 2024
In his last two seasons, Stutsman has combined to make 25 starts and log well over 200 tackles (26.5 for loss) with six sacks and three interceptions. Similar to Bolton, he’s a stat-sheet stuffer whose impact looks impressive on the box score. Advanced stats also like his profile, as Stutsman posted Pro Football Focus grades of 70 or higher for run defense, tackling, pass rush and overall defense this past season.
Stutsman differs from Bolton in some ways, though. While he’s a willing tackler, he is inconsistent in run defense and is indecisive at times on the field. On the other hand, he’s a more fluid athlete on tape and seems to thrive when diagnosing things in coverage or using his range to make plays. A 2025 linebacker trio of Stutsman, Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal would lose some of the tone-setting that Bolton is known for, although it’d gain the upside of being more interchangeable and also empowering the more well-rounded Tranquill to be the group’s leader.
In next year’s class, Stutsman joins players like LSU’s Harold Perkins, Clemson’s Barrett Carter and Utah’s Lander Barton as some premier linebacker talents. Is he worthy of a first-round pick? Not in this writer’s opinion, although pre-draft athletic testing could sway his stock either way. Counting on him to be a direct Bolton replacement could bring about some question marks, but Stutsman’s projected floor and ceiling at the next level are both intriguing.
Read More: A Tyrann Mathieu Text to Brett Veach Adds Fuel to the Jaden Hicks Hype Train
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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