Urban Meyer smiled and fist pumped his program to yet another huge evening Friday in Chicago at the 2016 NFL Draft, when he witnessed the professional careers of another handful of his players commence.
The Buckeyes dominated the first round Thursday, when Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple, Taylor Decker and Darron Lee became top-20 selections. Friday brought the second and third rounds, and five more players found new homes. Michael Thomas and Vonn Bell both went to New Orleans, Adolphus Washington went to Buffalo, Braxton Miller to Houston and finally Nick Vannett to Seattle at No. 94 overall.
Ninety-four picks. Ten Buckeyes. Now what?
Noon Saturday begins the fourth round of the draft, with the fifth, sixth and seventh to follow. A total of 155 picks remain, which leaves us plenty more to talk about from an Ohio State perspective. Just as it sat when things closed Thursday night, Cleveland is on the clock. The Browns own the 99th and 100th picks to open things Saturday.
Here are three storylines to watch for Saturday in the final rounds of what has already become a massive recruiting tool for Meyer and his coaching staff.
Who Pulls The Trigger On Cardale Jones?
Of the 14 players that earned invitations to the 2016 NFL Combine, four remain undrafted — Cardale Jones, Joshua Perry, Jalin Marshall and Tyvis Powell. Only one of them can throw a football 65 yards flatfooted, however.
Jones is arguably the biggest wildcard in the entire draft. Some analysts said he could flirt with the third round, while others said he could fall all the way to the seventh or even beyond. So, who is willing to take a chance on a guy that finished his college career 11-0 as a starter but not as a starter?
A bunch of quarterbacks remain — six were drafted in the first three rounds — including Michigan State's Connor Cook. Jones' big arm doesn't have a rival in this draft class, but he remains a project with the other inconsistencies in his game.
Arizona, Dallas, San Diego, Pittsburgh — all are likely in the market for another signal caller. With plenty still in the draft pool, they'll have their pick.
Who will pick Jones?
Will Ohio State Break Another Record, This Time One Of Its Own?
The 10 Buckeyes taken in the first three rounds is a new record in the common draft era, while the program tied another mark with seven players among the first two rounds.
Ohio State has a real shot at tying or snapping its 12-year-old record of 14 players from one school selected in a single draft. Jones, Marshall, Perry and Powell should hear their names called Saturday to tie the 2004 record, but just one more pick would make a new mark.
Tackle Chase Farris is projected by some as a seventh-round selection. If the four other guys who got invited to the NFL Combine get drafted, Farris could make 15 and a new record.
Considering 10 Ohio State players came off the board among the first 94 picks, five more in the final 155 seems like a piece of cake.
Will Any Buckeye Stay In Ohio?
Both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals had opportunities to snatch Buckeyes Friday. It never happened, either due to trades or the franchises electing to head in another direction.
Will that change Saturday?
Cleveland drafted USC quarterback Cody Kessler 93rd overall. The Bengals likely won't take one this year, so it appears Jones is headed elsewhere. Cincinnati has four picks as it enters the day, but took Pittsburgh's Tyler Boyd Friday to fill a wide receiver vacancy created by the departures of Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. Could they take Marshall, too? Unlikely.
Cleveland is building for its future in this year's draft and beyond and has eight picks to its name as it enters Saturday. It still need another linebacker, so Perry could be an option, and the team cut former Buckeye Donte Whitner earlier this month. Would they make a run at Powell for depth at safety?
Time will tell, but it is safe to say the draft's final day will still have a heavy Buckeye flavor to it.
