Big 10 Prospect Watch List: Ohio State
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer celebrates a victory with his team after the game against Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Ohio State Buckeyes have brought the Big 10 back into the national spotlight (for positive reasons this time). Urban Meyer’s team lost very few pieces from its National Championship team in the 2015 NFL Draft. The same may not be said this time next year regarding the 2016 NFL Draft. The team is due to lose at-least one quarterback, their top edge rusher, their superstar running back and key members of both the offensive and defensive line. Lets take a look at some of the prospects we may be seeing coming out of Ohio State for the 2016 NFL Draft.
Cardale Jones – Junior, QB
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While Braxton Miller is the senior of the Ohio State quarterbacks, Jones showed too much potential to not get the starting job. Frankly, I’m surprised Miller hasn’t transferred to a school like Florida State, Oregon or Alabama yet. While Jones only has three game tapes, his play in those three highly critical games was terrific. He stood tall and poised in the pocket, he threw a tight ball with great strength and timing and he showed decent mobility and fight outside the pocket. One thing he will need to work on, which I won’t knock him for just yet, is his need to lead receivers more with his decent accuracy. A number of teams could potentially be looking for quarterbacks in the draft next season (Chicago, San Diego, Houston) and if Jones can continue to produce for Ohio State, he will be on their radar in a potential quarterback heavy draft class.
Joey Bosa – Junior, Edge
Bosa is the big fish in the Ohio State prospect pool. The 6’6 edge rusher pulled in 12.5 sacks last season for the Buckeyes, but failed to produce against the premium college football teams such as Alabama, Oregon, or Michigan State. In those three games, he finished with only six tackles and zero sacks. His rushing angle also is questionable in my eyes as he fails to remain in his rushing lane. Despite his overall quickness, I see a lack of aggression and speed off the snap. I’ll be very interested to see how much Bosa improves over the 2015 season and whether or not he should be worthy of a top-five pick.
Ezekiel Elliott – Junior, RB
Elliott is by far one of my favorite players in this years draft; and that’s coming from a Penn State student. He has everything I look for in a running back: great vision, finds the holes in the front seven, fights for yards with defenders on his back. He does everything I would ask him to do. He also catches well out of the back field and has the break away speed to burn defenders. I call him a downhill runner with great bounce and elusiveness. Any team in the top ten next year should break the cardinal rule of not drafting a running back early because this kid is going to be special. How does he look in Black and Silver?
Adolphus Washington – Senior, DE
Health is the biggest issue for Adolphus Washington. He missed much of his sophomore year with a groin issue and came back with a roar. Ohio State’s defensive line coach Larry Johnson has called Washington “the most critical guy in our defense.” The 6’4 288 lb nose guard has moved around the line at times for Ohio State, but with the loss of Michael Bennett, Washington is expected to stay put at one position. He does a good job reaching the second level and takes down offensive lineman with ease.
Taylor Decker – Senior, OT
Another key senior is up for Ohio State. The first thing that jumps out at me with Decker is his size. The 21 year-old is 6’8, 315 pounds, already decent size for an NFL lineman. His feet are another thing that stood out to me. He uses them well and has great lateral movement with defensive lineman pushing him. Decker is due to be one of the top tackles in the draft, most likely a mid-first round pick for a team needing a hulking left tackle.