Sad news : Oklahoma set to loose their big star to the Carolina Panthers, as an undrafted free agent
Despite being undrafted on the third day of the NFL Draft, Andrew Raym is anticipated to sign as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers.
Despite not hearing his name called on the last day of the NFL Draft, former Oklahoma center Andrew Raym will still have an opportunity to get into the league.
According to a source who spoke with 247Sports national reporter Matt Zenitz, Raym, who has been the Sooners’ starting center for the majority of the last three seasons, is anticipated to sign with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agency.
After opting to forgo his final year of eligibility with Oklahoma and declare early for the draft following the conclusion of the Sooners’ regular season, Raym is expected to sign as an undrafted free agent.
In 2020, Raym, who stands 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 314 pounds, was ranked among the top 100 prospects. He was a four-star recruit when he signed with Oklahoma, ranking second in the Sooners’ recruiting class only to fellow offensive lineman Nate Anderson, who has since gone to SMU. After graduating from Broken Arrow High School, Raym was ranked as the top player in Oklahoma and the 92nd best player in the nation overall.
After spending his first season playing left guard, Raym played the next four seasons in Norman, Oklahoma, appearing in 43 games with 29 career starts, all at center. In his final three seasons with the program, he was a key member of the Sooners’ offensive line and was named to the second team of the Big 12 in 2021 and 2023.
Over his four seasons at OU, Raym played 2,196 snaps. Last season, he started all 12 regular-season games and played a career-high 874 snaps before choosing not to play in the Alamo Bowl in order to focus on his NFL Draft preparations. Over the course of his career, Raym allowed just six quarterback hits, 29 hurries, and six total sacks in 1,105 pass-blocking snaps. Over his career, he had a 97.9 pass-blocking efficiency percentage, per Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers signed Raym as an undrafted free agent, gaining an untested interior lineman with the build of an average NFL center, despite his arm length (32.5 inches) being below average. Raym can play both guard and center. Raym makes up for any lack of natural athleticism with his experience, intelligence, and willingness to seek contact as a blocker. At the NFL Combine, his 40-yard sprint time of 5.42 was the third-slowest pace among offensive lineman, and his 24.5-inch vertical was the second-worst among linemen.
If he wants to stay in the league, he’ll need to rely on those qualities along with his skill to make up for shortcomings at the next level, but Raym at least gained some traction with the Panthers on Saturday.
