CHICAGO — Adolphus Washington is headed east.
The Buffalo Bills selected the Ohio State senior defensive tackle 80th overall Friday in the 2016 NFL Draft. Washington becomes the eighth Buckeye drafted this year.
Dam it feels good to be a Buffalo Bill
— The Dolph (@buckeye11_DD) April 30, 2016
A former five-star talent out of Taft High School in Cincinnati, it took a while for Washington career to fully take off in Columbus. He started at defensive end, but eventually moved inside under Larry Johnson's tutelage to work alongside teammates Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett and others.
"He has a defensive end skill set, playing inside," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said Friday on NFL Network after Buffalo announced its pick. "Everyone is looking for a guy like that."
Washington finished his Ohio State career with nearly 150 tackles and 13.5 sacks. He intercepted a Western Michigan screen pass in 2015 and rumbled 20 yards for a score in Ohio Stadium and also forced a fumble against Penn State. A citation for solicitation in December earned him a one-game suspension from Meyer, which ultimately ended his career.
That incident and some poor testing at both the NFL Combine and Ohio State's Pro Day hurt his draft stock, but Washington still heard his name called relatively early in a deep defensive tackle draft class.
Washington is the second Ohio State defensive tackle in as many seasons taken in the NFL Draft, joining Bennett, who Jacksonville picked in the sixth round last year. He becomes the first Buckeye on the roster in Buffalo.
