When you talk about the 2016 NFL Draft, the words "Ohio State" are prevalent among the verbiage professional scouts, general managers and draft analysts use when talking talent.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said during Saturday's Senior Bowl that as many as "seven or eight" Buckeyes could find themselves in the top 50 selections of the 2016 NFL Draft, which opens April 28 in Chicago.
The South defeated the North 27-16 in Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, where four Ohio State players represented their school a final time on the field. Braxton Miller, Nick Vannett, Adolphus Washington and Tyvis Powell all saw considerable air time, but linebacker Joshua Perry sat out with a groin injury suffered earlier in the week. Former defensive end Noah Spence—who spent this past season at Eastern Kentucky—also played.
Those Ohio State players—and others— find their names littered across updated mock drafts from analysts less than three months before the NFL Draft. The majority of analysts we mention here put out new mocks after the Senior Bowl, but ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay just updated their big boards.
Just like Jan. 23, we'll use information from Kiper Jr. and McShay, Rob Rang and Dane Brugler from CBS Sports, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com and Josh Norris of rotoworld.com (Jeremiah and Norris have yet to provide their latest mock drafts, so those numbers remain the same.) We'll also add in Ryan McCrystal from Bleacher Report. The numbers in parenthesis represent each player's previous ranking.
| Prospect | Rang | Brugler | Kiper JR. | McShay | McCrystal | Jeremiah | Norris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOEY BOSA, DE | 5 (3) | 3 (3) | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT, RB | 10 (18) | 10 (18) | 17 (29) | 15 (NR) | 20 | 10 | 18 |
| TAYLOR DECKER, OT | 26 (26) | 16 (16) | 20 (18) | 22 (18) | 14 | 20 | 23 |
| ELI APPLE, CB | 25 (31) | 25 (25) | 24 (26) | 18 (NR) | 25 | 9 | 12 |
| DARRON LEE, LB | 23 (23) | 18 (NR) | – (NR) | 23 (23) | 27 | 24 | 17 |
| BRAXTON MILLER, WR | – (NR) | 24 (NR) | – (NR) | – (NR) | 28 | – | – |
2016 NFL Draft order:
- 1. Tennessee Titans
- 2. Cleveland Browns
- 3. San Diego Chargers
- 4. Dallas Cowboys
- 5. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 6. Baltimore Ravens
- 7. San Francisco 49ers
- 8. Miami Dolphins
- 9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 10. New York Giants
- 11. Chicago Bears
- 12. New Orleans Saints
- 13. Philadelphia Eagles
- 14. Oakland Raiders
- 15. Los Angeles Rams
- 16. Detroit Lions
- 17. Atlanta Falcons
- 18. Indianapolis Colts
- 19. Buffalo Bills
- 20. New York Jets
- 21. Washington Redskins
- 22. Houston Texans
- 23. Minnesota Vikings
- 24. Cincinnati Bengals
- 25. Pittsburgh Steelers
- 26. Seattle Seahawks
- 27. Green Bay Packers
- 28. Kansas City Chiefs
- 29. Arizona Cardinals
- 30. Denver Broncos
- 31. Carolina Panthers
*Note: There are only 31 picks in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. New England forfeited its first round selection. The final three picks of the first round will be awarded to Denver, Carolina and Arizona upon completion of the NFL season.
As you can see from the table, Michael Thomas' name has disappeared from early mock drafts and been replaced by Braxton Miller in some instances. Miller had an excellent week in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl, the reason for his rise. Brugler saw him live all week, the reason he is one of analysts above to see him as a first round talent.
Ezekiel Elliott also saw a significant boost in his stock according to Rang, Brugler, Kiper Jr. and McShay. Elliott's case to be the first running back selected in the 2016 NFL Draft remains strong.
Taylor Decker opted out of the Senior Bowl due to a minor injury. Both McShay and Kiper Jr. dropped him on their Big Boards, but he remained in the same spot in Brugler's and Rang's mock drafts.
Bosa's projection fell a bit according to a few analysts, but that's nothing to gripe about. He is a junior, and the bulk of movers in latests mocks are seniors who played at the Senior Bowl.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz saw his stock rise immensely after a solid week in Mobile, Alabama. Quarterback-thirsty teams sit in the top half of the NFL Draft order.
The NFL Scouting Combine will be held the final week of February, when projections for Ohio State players will surely deviate from what is listed above. If the six players listed above are selected in the first round—and Mike Thomas or someone else sneaks up to join them—that will be an NFL record from one school. The previous record for selections from one school is six from Miami (FL) in 2004.
Much can change from now until the first day of the draft April 28 in Chicago. No matter how you slice it, though, Ohio State's 2016 NFL Draft class will be historic.
