Examining Former Buckeye Wide Receiver Production in the NFL as Mike Thomas, Braxton Miller and Jalin Marshall Make the Leap

Braxton Miller, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall are the latest receivers from Ohio State looking to take their talents to the professional ranks after polishing their craft in Columbus. 

Miller carved out a Buckeye legacy as one of the most prolific offensive players in school history though the overwhelming majority of his production came as a quarterback making the fact he recently turned heads at Senior Bowl practices as a true wide receiver all the more impressive. 

While Thomas took a more traditional road to the draft than Miller, it was not without bumps as the California product took a rare second-year redshirt in 2013 before breaking out during Ohio State's national championship march in 2014 with 799 receiving yards amid a host of clutch plays. Thomas posted another 781 yards last season despite unsettled quarterback play emerging as a potential 1st round pick. 

Marshall's route to the NFL as a receiver began with a position switch upon arrival at Ohio State. Over the last two seasons Marshall posted a combined 976 receiving yards and was also a big play guy during the 2014 championship season. Marshall's draft stock isn't on the same plane as that of Miller and Thomas but that doesn't mean he can't carve out a meaningful role at the next level. 

Considering the trio's wide-ranging draft projections and the variables that influence success, it's impossible to predict how successful Miller, Thomas and Marshall will be at the next level. By extension, it's equally impossible to peg how their professional success will stack up against fellow Buckeye alumni. 

To lend perspective to what kind of production it will take to be considered elite among their Buckeye pass catching brethren, here's a snapshot of careers turned in by past Ohio State receivers. 

The gold standard, eight-time Pro Bowler Cris Carter leads all former Buckeye receivers with 13,899 career NFL receiving yards, good for 12th all-time and his 130 touchdown catches rank fourth. Carter's Hall of Fame career is even more impressive when you consider the substance abuse that triggered his release from the Philadelphia Eagles just three years into what became a 16-year career. During an eight-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings, Carter tallied 1,000+ yards in each season and is still the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. 

A lesser known factoid about the Middletown product with gloriously sticky fingers, his full name is Graduel Christopher Darin Carter. 

Paul Warfield, the second-most prolific Hall of Famer with Buckeye roots, paid immediate dividends for the Cleveland Browns who tabbed him as the 11th overall pick of the 1964 Draft. As a rookie, Warfield posted a career-high 52 receptions for 920 yards earning the first of eight Pro Bowl nods. 

Warfield was a big play machine throughout his career and his average of 20.1 yards per catch still ranks fourth all-time. Warfield ranked in the top-10 in receiving yards per game in six different seasons and in the top-10 in touchdowns in five different seasons. The Warren, Ohio native still ranks 15th all-time with 85 receiving touchdowns. 

A name you may not know, Dante "Gluefingers" Lavelli saw limited action appearing in just three games for the 1942 Buckeyes before becoming a World War II hero. Upon his return to the states, Lavelli was signed by the Cleveland Browns in 1946, then a member of the All-America Football Conference.  

With Gluefingers doing work on the outside, the Browns won four straight AAFC championships before the league folded and the Cleveland franchise joined the NFL. Lavelli would be a key cog as the Browns racked up three NFL championships during a strong run from 1950-1955. 

Over his career, Lavelli earned three Pro Bowl selections, ranked in the top-10 in both receptions and receiving yards during his AAFC/NFL career and placed in the top-10 for receiving touchdowns in seven different seasons. 

Joseph Scott Galloway is probably on the outside looking in when it comes to Canton but there's no denying the man put up some serious numbers during a 16-year career with five teams. 

Galloway's 10,950 yards rank 34th all-time while his 77 touchdown receptions are good for the 28th spot. Despite six 1,000+ yard receiving seasons, ranking in the top-10 in receiving touchdowns three times along with four top-10 appearances in yards per catch, Galloway never made a Pro Bowl. 

The eighth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the Bellaire, Ohio speedster seemed ageless as evidenced by his first 1,000+ receiving season occurring in 1995 with his last coming in 2007. 

The next rung starts with Brookhaven High School's own Terry Glenn. The seventh pick of the 1996 NFL Draft, Glenn posted four 1,000+ yard seasons and earned one Pro Bowl selection in 1999 posting 69 receptions for 1,147 yards. 

Despite accumlating over 8,800 career receiving yards, good for 65th all-time, it's hard not to feel like Glenn could have accomplished significantly more if not for injuries and off-field drama. 

A 2nd round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1991 Draft, Jeff Graham tallied 8,172 yards (83rd all-time) for five different teams with his best years coming in 1994 and 1995 as a member of the Chicago Bears.

Graham started 31 of his 32 games in Chicago tallying 2,245 yards and eight touchdowns. His 1,301 receiving yards during the '95 campaign ranked 10th in the league. 

Santonio Holmes is the most widely known of this trio thanks to his MVP performance in the 2009 Super Bowl highlighted by an amazing game-winning touchdown grab in the last minute of Pittsburgh's 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals as part of a nine-catch, 131-yard performance. 

Holmes posted just one 1,000+ yard receiving season (2009) and led the league in yards per catch (18.1) in 2007. 

The 25th pick of the 2006 Draft, Holmes is another former Buckeye who had his fair share of drama which contributed to a diminished career stat line. 

Brian Hartline kicks off the next tier sporting two 1,000+ yard seasons over what is currently a seven-year career. Considering his status a 4th round pick, Hartline's status as Ohio State's eighth-most prolific NFL receiver from a yards standpoint is impressive. Hartline spent his first six seasons in Miami and set the franchise record for single-game receiving yards with 253 against the Arizona Cardinals. 

The eighth pick of the 1999 Draft, David Boston's NFL career lasted just six years thanks to multiple knee surgeries and character issues including a steroids suspension, a reputation for not being a model teammate and an OMVI. 

The physical specimen from Humble, Texas posted back to back 1,000+ yard seasons in Arizona capped by an All-Pro 2001 campaign in which he tallied 98 catches for a league-best 1,598 yards with eight touchdowns. 

Another 1st rounder, Michael Jenkins joined the Atlanta Falcons as the 29th pick of the 2004 Draft. Jenkins lasted nine years in the league but never posted more than 777 yards in a season. A serviceable player with a tall frame, Jenkins averaged nearly 40 catches per season and posted a career-high seven touchdowns in 2006. 

Ted Ginn Jr.'s legacy is still being defined as he gets ready to cap his ninth season in Sunday's Super Bowl. With a professional reputation mostly defined by his exploits as a punt/kick returner, Teddy has revitalized his receiving career this year with Carolina. 

A lesser-known name to many Buckeye fans, Chris Sanders rounds out this grouping following a seven-year career. Sanders burst onto the NFL scene as a rookie for the Houston Oilers as he led the NFL with 23.5 yards per catch, amassing 823 yards on just 35 receptions. Sanders backed up his first season with another 882 yards on 18.4 yards per catch, good for second in the league before his production declined dramatically over his final five seasons. 

The 500-2,000 yard group features just one 1st rounder in Anthony Gonzalez. The St. Ignatius product tallied 1,240 yards in his first two seasons as a receiver for Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts but he would total just five catches over the next three seasons (11 games) thanks to knee injuries. 

The lone 2nd rounder on this list, Doug Donley last just four seasons due to shoulder various injuries including a bum shoulder that plagued him dating back to his high school days in Cambridge. 

Philly Brown is the lone active player in this grouping and is enjoying a fine season sophomore season for the Panthers. 

Upwards of 25 other former Buckeye receivers were drafted or spent time as an active player on an NFL roster but failed to total at least 500 receiving yards.

Brian Robiskie, a 2nd round pick in 2009 tops the list with 485 yards with Dane Sanzenbacher (undrafted) not far behing at 444. 

Devier Posey, currently with the Denver Broncos, has 355 receiving yards since his 3rd round selection in 2012. 

Ken-Yon Rambo (239) tops the list of the eight other guys with at least one receiving yard in the NFL dotted with names like Reggie Germany (203), Bam Childress (39) and Roy Hall (9). 

Devin Smith resides on this list but his story is still very much unwritten as the 2nd round pick suffered a torn ACL in December of his rookie season.