Korie Black's Selection Caps Big Draft for Oklahoma State Defense

Oklahoma State’s defense was well-represented in the NFL Draft.

On Saturday, the Cowboys heard the fourth and final OSU player selected in the NFL Draft, when Korie Black was selected by the New York Giants with the 246th pick in the seventh round. Of the four Cowboys who were drafted, three came from the defense, joining Ollie Gordon, who was the only offensive player.

After being a solid part of the OSU defense throughout his career, Black had his best season in his final campaign. In 2024, the Cowboy defense was among the worst in the country as injuries ravaged the team, but Black was a consistent part of the defense. Playing in all 12 games, Black finished the year with 36 tackles, three sacks and nine pass breakups.

Across five seasons with varying roles, Black finished his OSU career with 100 tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions, 21 pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Although Black didn’t go until nearly the end of the draft, his selection still shows that there was clear interest from teams. Over the past couple of weeks, Black’s stock had gone up, so it’s no surprise that the Giants wanted to secure him and not allow him to become an undrafted free agent.

Of course, Black was far from the only member of the OSU defense to be picked over the past couple of days, with Nick Martin going in the third round and Collin Oliver being a fifth-round selection.

Throughout Mike Gundy’s tenure in Stillwater, he has been known as an offensive-minded coach and sent out some star players on that end, such as Dez Bryant and Chuba Hubbard. However, there has also been an abundance of Cowboy defenders who have made the jump from OSU to the NFL in that time period, so it’s not too surprising that the OSU defense dominated this draft for the Cowboys.

While being a seventh-round selection comes with clear obstacles and little guaranteed, Black has the tools to be an NFL player for years to come.