The last time "Amazin'" Gracen Halton made headlines, the former Oklahoma standout was turning heads at the NFL Combine.
A few months later, he’s the talk of the town again after his preseason debut for the San Francisco 49ers.
After dominating several reps against the Tennessee Titans, including one against Peter Skoronski, the NFL's highest-paid offensive guard, Halton earned high praise from NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, who highlighted the rookie's disruptive performance.
"Baldy" wasn't alone in his praise, as Halton's performance quickly generated buzz across social media.
Gracen Halton backing up NFL Combine hype on the field
Perhaps even more indicative was not only the national love Halton received, but how clearly beloved he still is by his former Sooner teammates, namely fellow defensive tackle David Stone.
Stone knows a thing or two about playing defensive tackle himself, as he is widely projected as the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft.
49ers teammate Trent Williams was especially impressed and showed just how deep the Oklahoma brotherhood runs with his opening words.
"Boomer Sooner, Gracen Halton, you know it. G-Baby, man," Williams said. "Obviously, Oklahoma guy, so I'm always gonna be a little biased, but I think the world kinda saw what he has to offer. Very explosive. Short area quickness. Really powerful. He puts you in the mind of D.J. Jones a little bit, what he had when he was here. He definitely impressed."
Halton is just one of many defensive standouts who are part of what appears to be a legitimate pipeline of Brent Venables defensive players to the NFL — and, as noted with the aforementioned Stone, it doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. The 49ers appear to have a gem in Halton, whom they selected in the fourth round (107th overall) of this year’s NFL Draft.
Halton tied for third on the team with four tackles against the Titans, including two solo tackles and one TFL, which tied for the team lead.
Next up for the 49ers is a trip to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday at 9 p.m. CT. What will “G Baby” do next? We will find out soon enough.
It appears he is well on his way to finding a spot in the Niners’ defensive tackle rotation.
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