After stellar collegiate careers highlighted by playing starring roles in Ohio State's march to the 2014 national title, local products Darron Lee and Joshua Perry are now just a few short months from joining the professional ranks.
Lee, a former three-star recruit out of New Albany, is projected as a 1st-rounder in most mock drafts while Perry, a four-star out of Lewis Center, could go as high as the 2nd round.
Projecting how collegiate success will translate to the next level is such an inexact science it's impossible to tell if either player will live up to the hype and become a key cog of an NFL defense.
For perspective on what it will take for Lee or Perry to turn in an NFL career ranking among former Buckeyes greats, here is a summary of resumes turned in by past Ohio State linebackers.
| LINEBACKER | RD/PK | YEAR | YRS | G | GS | TKLS | SACKS | INT | FF | FR | PRO BOWL | 1st team ALL-pRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. GRADISHAR | 1 (14) | 1974 | 10 | 145 | 133 | 2,049 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 2 |
| C. SPIELMAN | 2 (29) | 1988 | 10 | 148 | 148 | 1,363 | 10.5 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 4 | 1 |
| J. HOUSTON | 1 (8) | 1960 | 13 | 177 | 56 | ? | ? | 14 | ? | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| P. JOHNSON | 2 (51) | 1986 | 13 | 196 | 158 | 983 | 25.5 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| M. VRABEL | 3 (91) | 1997 | 14 | 206 | 140 | 704 | 57 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
Note: Tackles stats are from multiple sources. Those and other stats are incomplete since the NFL didn't really start caring about various defensive metrics until the early 1990's.
While not as widely heralded as some other former OSU linebackers, Randy Gradishar stands as the current cream of the crop.
The 14th pick of the 1974 Draft, Gradishar was a nine-year starter on Denver's famous Orange Crush defense. The league's Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, Gradishar went to seven Pro Bowls during a 10-year career with two 1st team All-Pro nods.
Gradishar was inducted to the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1989 but the fact he's not in the NFL Hall of Fame is borderline criminal.
Second on the list is none other than Chris Spielman. The first athlete to grace the cover of a Wheaties box, Spielman started every NFL game he ever played on the way to four Pro Bowl selections during a 10-year career.
Spielman led the Detroit Lions in tackles seven consecutive years and is the franchise's all-time leading tackler. If not for neck injuries and sitting out a year to take care of Stefanie during one of her battles with cancer, Spielman's totals would be even greater.
Jim Houston isn't a familiar name for many Buckeye fans but the Massillon product carved out a hell of a career with the Cleveland Browns. The 8th pick of the 1960 Draft, Houston played three seasons at defensive end before moving to linebacker and solidifying a defense that helped the Browns capture the 1964 NFL championship, their last in franchise history.
The four-time Pro Bowler still ranks second among Browns linebackers with 14 career interceptions.
Pepper Johnson was a key cog for the New York Giants helping the franchise bring home two Super Bowl titles during his seven-year run with the team. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Pepper was a 1st team All-Pro in 1990. Johnson also has three rings as a coach with the New England Patriots.
Another player with ties to the Pats, Mike Vrabel was a beast for Bill Belichick in New England helping the squad earn three Super Bowl rings in eight years following a four-year stint in Pittsburgh to start his career.
Vrabel was so consistently great he was selected as a member of Sports Illustrated's 2000s All-Decade team and he moonlighted on offense with 10 receptions for 10 touchdowns.
| LINEBACKER | RD/PK | YEAR | YRS | G | GS | TKLS | SACKS | INT | FF | FR | PRO BOWL | 1st team ALL-PRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Hawk | 1 (5) | 2006 | 10 | 158 | 147 | 945 | 20.0 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| S. WHITE | 17 (438) | 1972 | 11 | 153 | 139 | ? | ? | 34 | ? | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| N. DIGGS | 4 (98) | 2000 | 12 | 170 | 138 | 672 | 11.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. BRUDZINSKI | 1 (23) | 1977 | 13 | 180 | 135 | ? | 14.5 | 9 | ? | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| J. LAURINAITIS | 2 (35) | 2009 | 7 | 112 | 112 | 852 | 16.5 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
The second tier starts with Centerville's own A.J. Hawk. The 5th pick of the 2006 Draft, Hawk started 136 of 142 games during a nine-year run with Green Bay before moving on to Cincinnati this past season.
Next up is the turnover machine known as Stan White. Over an 11-year career, White racked up 34 interceptions, good for second all-time among NFL linebackers. Add in another 15 recovered fumbles and White's 49 turnovers rank third all-time for linebackers behind Jack Ham and Ray Lewis.
After eight years with the Baltimore Colts and another three with Detroit, White logged three years in the USFL. Not a bad career for a 17th round pick.
A 4th round selection in 2000, Na'il Diggs outperformed the expectations of most fans with a 12-year career that saw him start as a rookie and become an integral part of Green Bay's defense as a six-year starter before a four-year stint as a starter for Carolina.
Bob Brudzinski enjoyed a 13-year NFL career with Miami and the Los Angeles Rams. A member of Miami's Killer B's defense in 1982, Brudzinski is considered a top-50 player in Dolphins history.
James Laurinaitis rounds out this grouping but based on his current trajectory, he'll move into the Cream of the Crop list once his career is complete.
The 2009 All-Rookie selection has started every game over what is currently a seven-year career and he's already the leading tackler in Rams history.
| LINEBACKER | RD/PK | YEAR | YRS | G | GS | TKLS | SACKS | INT | FF | FR | PR BOWL | ALL-PRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. TOVAR | 3 (59) | 1993 | 8 | 121 | 65 | 498 | 8.0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| A. GRIGGS | 4 (105) | 1982 | 7 | 90 | 65 | ? | 4.0 | 3 | ? | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| T. COUSINEAU | 1 (1) | 1979 | 6 | 66 | 59 | ? | 6.5 | 0 | ? | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Tovar was a four-year starter for Cincinnati to begin his career (55 starts) before serving in a largely reserve role for the Bengals, San Diego and Carolina over his final four seasons.
Anthony Griggs rose from 4th round status to log 63 starts in 64 games from 1983-1986 with three years in Philadelphia and one in Cleveland before seeing time as a reserve in his final two professional seasons.
A strong case could be made for Tom Cousineau to be higher on this list but he loses a few points in my unscientific rankings after opting to play his first three years in the CFL.
The first Buckeye ever selected as the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, Cousineau shunned the Buffalo Bills for a larger payday with the CFL Montreal Alouettes and while he starred in the league, it was simply lesser competition.
Following his stint in Canada, Cousineau was a four-year starter for the Browns before playing nine games over his final two NFL seasons in San Francisco (three starts).
Nine other former Buckeye linebackers logged anywhere from 10 to 22 NFL starts led by Matt Wilhelm and Bill Jobko with 22 each while Ryan Shazier checks in with 17 starts at this young stage of his career. Wilhelm started 14 games for San Diego in 2007 and eventually won a Super Bowl as primarily a special teams guy with the Packers.
Jim Laughlin (19 starts) and 1st rounder Rick Middleton (16 starts) slot just head of another 1st rounder, Andy Katzenmoyer (14 starts). The 28th pick of the 1999 Draft, the Big Kat started 11 games as a rookie before a neck injury ended his career in year two. Larry Grant, the 214th pick of the 2008 Draft, started 11 of 68 games over a six-year career.
Brian Rolle and his non-stop motor tallied 13 starts as a rookie for the Eagles after they took him with the 193rd pick of the 2011 Draft.
Bobby Carpenter started 10 times in 93 career games after the Dallas Cowboys took him with the 18th pick of the 2006 Draft.
