Russell Okung

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Russell Okung
refer to caption
Okung in December of 2013
No. 76 Seattle Seahawks
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-10-07) October 7, 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth: Fort Bend, Texas
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Career information
High school: Richmond (TX) Bush
College: Oklahoma State
NFL draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL
College
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2014
Games played: 59
Games started: 59
Player stats at NFL.com

Russell Okung (/oʊˈkʊŋ/ oh-KUUNG; born October 7, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Oklahoma State University, and was twice recognized as an All-American. He was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

Early years

Okung was born in Fort Bend, Texas. He attended George Bush High School in Fort Bend, where he was a first-team All-Greater Houston and first-team all-district selection. He was also one of the state's top performers in the discus throw (PR of 47.50 meters). 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 major schools, including Oklahoma, LSU and Nebraska. He committed to Oklahoma State in January 2006.

College career

Okung attended Oklahoma State University, where he played for coach Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys football team from 2006 to 2009. As a true freshman, he 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]

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.[9] On November 24, 2009, Okung was named one of three finalists for the 2009 Outland Trophy, alongside Mike Iupati and Ndamukong Suh.[10]

On December 1, 2009, Okung was named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches.[11] He was also recognized as a unanimous first-team 2009 All-American.[12] 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.[13][14]

Professional career

2010 NFL Draft

Okung was considered one of the best offensive tackles available in the 2010 NFL Draft,[15][16][17][18][19] and drew comparisons to D'Brickashaw Ferguson.[20] According to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, Okung "will start and play a lot of years in the NFL."[21] NFL.com's Bucky Brooks even projected Okung as the No. 1 pick overall,[22] as did Scout.com′s Chris Steuber.[23] 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".[24] The Kansas City Chiefs were believed to be one of the NFL teams to target Okung in the draft,[25] as well as the Washington Redskins.[26]

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 was the highest OSU draft pick since Barry Sanders went 3rd overall in the 1989 NFL Draft.[27]

Pre-draft measurables
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 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[28] No shuttles/jumps, b/c of groin injury.

Seattle Seahawks

2010 season

On August 6, 2010, Okung was signed by the Seahawks to a six-year contract worth a maximum of $48 million, with more than $29 million in guaranteed money.[29] 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 suffering a torn right pectoral muscle. He was put on Injury Reserve after the game.

2012 season
Russell Okung started 15 games in the regular season for the Seattle Seahawks. He started both playoff games versus the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons as well. 2012 marked Okung's first season without missing consecutive games since entering the NFL in 2010. He was voted as a starter in the 2012-2013 Pro Bowl making it his very first appearance. He was considered among many football analysts as being a top 5 Left Tackle in the 2012-2013 season while contributing to an offense that featured C Max Unger, RB Marshawn Lynch, and QB Russell Wilson in the Pro Bowl too.

Personal

Russell Okung is the son of Dorothy Akpabio and Victor Okung. Okung, who graduated in 2009, was a marketing major at OSU.[30] He is of Nigerian ancestry.[31]

Okung is a Christian. Okung has spoken about his faith saying, "Jesus is everything. And the great thing about Jesus is He'll meet you right where you're at. It's free. You don't have to earn it. You don't have to work for it. He gives it because He loves us and He is full of grace."[32] Okung's favorite Bible verse is Romans 4:20.[33]

References

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  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  31. ↑ 2010 NFL Draft: Player Profiles Overtime Africa, April 13, 2010
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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