The Oklahoma Sooners’ undefeated run hit a wall earlier this month against the Texas Longhorns. Since then, Heisman frontrunner John Mateer played perhaps the worst football of his college career. Throwing three picks and zero touchdowns against Steve Sarkisian’s squad doesn’t help his cause. Nevertheless, Mateer debunked the hovering injury rumors and kept it honest about Oklahoma’s sluggish offense.

On October 27, Oklahoma’s QB spoke with the media, and he made it clear his hand isn’t the issue but rather a part of the game. “It’s definitely not my thumb,” Mateer said. “I’ll tell you that. I’ll stand by that. My thumb is perfectly fine. I think there’s just ups and downs with the flow of the game. I’m human, I’m not perfect. So, there’s good times, there’re bad times.”

Oklahoma has dropped two of its last three games, and Mateer’s performances in big clutch plays have raised eyebrows across college football. Mateer explained that his recent blunders were part of football, not signs of injury or confusion on the field. “Not to say it’s bad, I don’t really think it’s that bad,” he continued. “I’m not not seeing the field… It’s not just ‘I don’t know what I’m looking at’. So, I don’t want to put that perspective out there. I’m still confident in what I’m looking at, and there’s just a couple that I missed. That happens, it just was at a bad time.”  

After sustaining an injury against Auburn, Mateer underwent a procedure to repair his right throwing hand. If you look at the numbers, it backs up his slump. Since returning from surgery, Mateer has completed 57.9% of his passes for 575 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. The dip began with the Red River Shootout against Texas, where he threw three picks. Now, those numbers could affect his draft stock.

The following week against South Carolina, he managed only 150 passing yards on 26 attempts. Then came the Ole Miss loss at home; Mateer made several key overthrows and stalled drives, and cost Oklahoma crucial points in the fourth quarter. Still, there’s reason for optimism. The Sooners face Tennessee next, a team with one of the SEC’s weakest pass defenses, allowing 266.3 yards per game and 16 touchdowns.

For Mateer, it’s the perfect chance to bounce back. Neyland Stadium may be a tough place to play, but he’s concentrated on regaining rhythm and confidence, not making excuses. As Mateer put it, the goal now is simple: get back to being himself and help Oklahoma finish strong. Does that mean his NFL draft stock plummeted?

John Mateer’s NFL stock is in question!

Since suffering a thumb injury against Auburn, John Mateer’s completion rate has dropped from 67.4% in the first four games to just 58%, which is not ideal in the SEC. Moreover, in their 34-26 loss to Ole Miss, everything seemed to unravel – the timing, accuracy, and decision-making. ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid didn’t sugarcoat it, saying the injury and uneven play could push Mateer “outside the top 50 picks.”

After that Ole Miss game, draft analyst and betting host Joe DeLeone broke it down further on The Ruffino & Joe Show: “Mateer clearly is not accurate at the current moment; he has gone backward, whether it’s the thumb injury or other factors… the NFL has cooled on him because they don’t think his decision-making has been great recently either.”

His numbers from Ole Miss screamed average at best; he went 17-of-31 for 223 yards and a single touchdown, but his rushing threat was almost nonexistent with only 17 yards on 13 carries. Even head coach Brent Venables admitted the issue.

Still, it’s not all over for Mateer. Before the injury, he posted an impressive 89.6 PFSN impact grade, ranking ninth among all college quarterbacks. That stat alone shows plenty of raw talent left to work with. “Evaluators are taking a wait-and-see approach,” Reid added, hinting that Mateer could rebuild his stock with a strong finish or even another year of college ball like Carson Beck.

With Oklahoma already sitting at two losses, one more defeat could knock them out of playoff contention and seal Mateer’s NFL fate, at least for now.