Luke Fickell's tree of Ohio State linebacker NFL Draft picks grows by another —its final — branch.
Raekwon McMillan became the seventh Buckeye at the position taken in as many years on Friday when the Miami Dolphins selected him with the 54th overall pick. McMillan joins Darron Lee and Joshua Perry last season, Ryan Shazier in 2014, Ross Homan and Brian Rolle in 2011 and Austin Spitler in 2010 as recent exports from Fickell's position group to the NFL.
McMillan is the last, as Fickell is now the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.
South Beach Chillen !! !! THANK GOD
— Raekwon McMillan (@Kwon_daTRUTH) April 29, 2017
A two-year starter and team captain, McMillan led the Buckeyes in tackles the last two seasons with 119 and 102 stops, respectively. A finalist for the 2015 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, McMillan leaves Ohio State with 275 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and six sacks in his three-year college career.
A 5-star recruit from Hinesville, Georgia and an early enrollee in Urban Meyer's 2014 class, McMillan was on a three-years-and-out path from the moment he stepped on campus in Columbus. A two-time second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer, McMillan represented the steady hand in the middle of Ohio State's defense the last two seasons and even saw considerable snaps during the team's national championship run as a freshman.
McMillan is the fifth Ohio State player to come off the board in the 2017 NFL Draft. Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker and Gareon Conley all went in the first round on Thursday and Curtis Samuel was selected on Friday.
