Israel Antwine Declares for the NFL Draft and This is Impactful!

STILLWATER – In a mild surprise Oklahoma State defensive tackle Israel Antwine has announced on Twitter that he is making himself available for the upcoming NFL Draft in April.

Antwine is a 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle that is capable of playing either the one or the three technique. This past season he finished with 20 total tackles, six of those unassisted tackles. He had four tackles for loss and had three sacks for 11-yards in losses. He also had two quarterback hurries. Antwine’s contributions cannot be summed up in stat numbers. He is the kind of player that I call an influencer. He is strong and commands attention from the offensive linemen, sometimes two offensive linemen and that allows players on defense, usually on the edge or linebackers blitzing gaps to have much greater opportunities to make plays. On run plays he will force a back to cut into other defenders.

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You have to watch the video to really gain full appreciation for what Antwine does for the defense. Most of his tackles come on run plays and he has become known as more of a run stopper, but that is unfair. His pass rush is strong in the middle and assists those edge rushers like Brock Martin, Collin Oliver, and Trace Ford.

As a junior, Antwine posted 20 tackles with nine of those unassisted. He had 5.0 tackles for loss and a half of a sack. He also had two quarterback hurries and he forced a fumble.

In his sophomore season at Oklahoma State he had 25 tackles, 14 unassisted, with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had a fumble recovery.

He was a two-time All-State lineman that played both ways at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City. As a senior for the Falcons he had 80 tackles and eight sacks. He was committed to Oklahoma State, but the day before signing day he shocked the school in an assembly when he flipped his commitment to Colorado.  

In his freshman season at CU he played in 12 games and finished with 15 tackles, five unassisted, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks. Antwine has been durable thoughout his career.

Antwine’s father told me that he has not hired an agent. Because he is a senior he is not able to petition for an NFL Draft grade. The NFL only offers that to underclassmen, but with the COVID year available for college players the NFL should help them out. Antwine needs to find out from the NFL if another year in college would help his opportunity or if he is ready now in their eyes.

As for the impact to Oklahoma State? It is stout. Antwine is a really valuable player in that defensive line. Our information has told us that defensive tackle Sione Asi (6-1, 320) and Samuela Tuihalamaka (6-1, 304) are both returning. Brendon Evers (6-2, 295) is having surgery and has said he will wait for a final decision on his football future.

Jayden Jernigan’s transfer to Missouri along with Antwine’s departure means there will need to be help at defensive tackle. Xavier Ross (6-4, 290) is a red-shirt sophomore that played some in the Fiesta Bowl win and is progressing. Arkansas transfer Collin Clay (6-3, 300) and brother of popular Cowboys mascot/fan Warren Clay is recovering from an ACL knee surgery. Young players Aden Kelley (6-2, 300) and Marcus Duckworth (6-1, 295) both need to progress. I do think Kelley has the tools to be a star.