NFL Draft: Oklahoma's Walter Rouse, Jonah Laulu Selected on Saturday

By OU Media Relations

NORMAN — Oklahoma added two more to its long list of NFL Draftees.

Offensive tackle Walter Rouse was the first selection in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft (No. 177 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings and OU defensive lineman Jonah Laulu was the 14th pick in the seventh round (No. 234 overall) by the Indianapolis Colts as the draft concluded on Saturday.

With offensive tackle Tyler Guyton selected in the first round (No. 29 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, OU has produced at least three NFL Draft picks each of the last 22 years, the third-longest streak nationally. At least two Sooners have been drafted each of the last 29 years.

Oklahoma's streak of 16 years in a row with at least four players drafted — the longest of any school in the nation — has ended.

Rouse, the 13th Oklahoma offensive lineman drafted in the 10 years Bill Bedenbaugh has served as the Sooners' offensive line coach, is also OU’s ninth offensive tackle selected during that period, most nationally.

This marks the second straight season OU had both a left and right tackle taken in the NFL Draft. Rouse joined right tackle Guyton in this year’s draft and right tackle Anton Harrison (first round by Jacksonville) and left tackle Wanya Morris (third round by Kansas City) in the 2023 draft.

The 6-6, 314-pound Rouse, who is from Silver Spring, MD, started 52 of his 53 career games between Stanford (2019-22) and Oklahoma (2023). His only non-start was in his first career game. All of his starts and all but one of his 3,410 career snaps came at left tackle.

Rouse earned honorable mention All-Big 12 acclaim from the league’s head coaches in 2023 when he started all 13 games and did not allow a sack on his 480 pass-blocking plays, according to PFF.

He served as a game captain twice last season (Sept. 9 vs. SMU and Oct. 28 at Kansas) and was named the Outland Trophy Player of the Week on Oct. 10. For that award, he was specifically recognized for blocking two defensive players simultaneously on OU’s game-winning touchdown pass against Texas with 15 seconds remaining.

Rouse, who is scheduled to graduate from Oklahoma in May with a degree in multidisciplinary studies, transferred to OU after four seasons as a starting left tackle at Stanford. He was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2022 and was twice named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 performer by the league’s coaches in 2020 and a second-team freshman All-American by The Athletic in 2019.

Out of high school, Rouse was rated as a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 34 tackle by Rivals. He was also ranked as the nation’s No. 36 tackle by PrepStar, No. 44 by ESPN and No. 53 by 247Sports, and was regarded as a consensus top-five recruit in Maryland.

Rouse’s grandfather, Walter (Vic) Rouse, was an honorable mention All-America basketball player at Loyola University of Chicago and hit the game-winning shot in overtime of the 1963 NCAA Championship game against Cincinnati as time expired.

Laulu played two seasons at Oklahoma (end in 2022 and tackle in 2023) after transferring from Hawai’i, where he spent his first four collegiate seasons. A 6-5, 292-pounder from Las Vegas, Laulu compiled 102 total tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 quarterback sacks over 66 games (24 starts) in his college career.

In his two campaigns at Oklahoma, Laulu played in 26 games and made six starts, totaling 31 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and an interception. He was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2023.

Laulu started each of the first three games of the 2023 season and totaled 11 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and four QB hurries. In 2022, he totaled 20 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, one interception, a pass breakup and two QB hurries. He made regular season starts at Iowa State and Texas Tech that season, combining for four tackles, one TFL, a pass breakup and a QB hurry in the two outings. He also started in the Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State.

In four seasons at Hawai’i from 2018-21, Laulu played in 40 contests and made 18 starts, all during his last two campaigns there. He compiled 71 tackles, 19.0 TFLs, 8.0 sacks, one pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

A two-way player at Centennial High School in Las Vegas, Laulu earned all-conference honors as a senior despite playing only half the season. He graduated from Oklahoma with an Arts and Sciences Planned Program degree and is pursuing a master’s in business analytics.