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Ohio State Buckeyes Prospect Preview vs. NIU — Offense

By Sayre Bedinger

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are obviously one of the most talented college football teams not only in the country, but perhaps up there among the best in the history of the game.

Therefore, it’s incredibly fun to watch them from both the college perspective as well as the future/NFL perspective. Let’s take a look at some of their top prospects and how these players are doing so far this season.

12 – Cardale Jones, QB

Statistically, Jones is of to a bit of a slow start this season. He’s completing under 60 percent of his passes and has just 2 touchdowns compared to one interception. I don’t think scouts are panicked about Jones at all, but he could definitely step things up in the passing game and show some more consistency.

I might be rooting for him a bit, but I like what I have seen from Jones from a skills perspective. He’s obviously got a cannon for an arm, but he’s also good at fitting the ball into tight spots. The only problem is his consistency in accuracy. He will sail some balls and let throws get away from him with lazy footwork.

Jones is also the type of QB who takes plenty of hits due to his scrambling ability and ability to break tackles. He’s got a rushing touchdown this season and also 104 yards on the ground in two games.

15 – Ezekiel Elliott, RB

I love the way Ezekiel Elliott runs, but opposing defenses hate him (and will forever do so). Elliott has the ability to be a physical, bruising back, but he’s also extremely quick and decisive with his cuts. He has great vision and open field speed, and is nearly impossible to defend.

In the first 2 games, Elliott has averaged nearly six yards per carry as well as posting four touchdowns.

I’d like to see more of Elliott as a receiver, but that’s just my personal preference. Backs need to be able to do it all, of course, and I think Elliott is more than capable. He’d be my best back in the draft if the season ended today.

3 – Michael Thomas, WR

The junior wide receiver is a very intriguing player to me. Through the first 2 games of the season, he leads the team in receiving yards and at 6-3, 210 pounds, he really has interesting size/speed/athletic abilities.

You don’t see the Buckeyes throw the ball a ton compared to some of the other teams in college football, due primarily to Urban Meyer’s offensive philosophy, but that doesn’t mean they don’t attract talent at the position. Thomas is intriguing.

1 – Braxton Miller, WR

I’m excited to watch every single snap by Braxton Miller, the former Heisman candidate at quarterback. Miller is so exciting with the ball in his hands and he has shown absolutely tremendous ability as a receiver this year. There is definitely some refining to be done, but Miller has caught five balls for 95 yards, has averaged over 9 yards per carry on 13 rush attempts, and generally looks extremely comfortable in his new role.

81 – Nick Vannett, TE

The senior tight end doesn’t catch a ton of passes, but is a heck of a blocker and has phenomenal size. At 6-6 260 pounds, he looks more like a big defensive end than an option in the passing game, but Vannett is an interesting player who might offer better potential as an NFL player than he does in college.

68 – Taylor Decker, OT

One of the best tackles in college football, Taylor Decker was once upon a time the victim of Buffalo Bulls defender Khalil Mack, now one of the top defensive players in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. He’ll be a highly sought after offensive lineman in this coming draft, however, after blossoming into a very good football player over the course of his Ohio State career. He’s pretty hard to miss at 6-8.

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