You already know Ohio State's last NFL Draft haul was nothing short of historic. Five first-round picks, including three in the top 10, 12 selections overall and one player coming off the board at every single position (excluding specialists) is as ridiculous as it sounds. What is crazier is it actually happened.
Ohio State's next draft class won't be in the same stratosphere — it will be difficult for any program to duplicate that — but the Buckeyes are still in line to ship a considerable amount of talent to the league.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare their intentions to leave school early and turn pro is Monday. Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley, wide receiver Noah Brown, H-back Curtis Samuel, safety Malik Hooker and middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan all took the plunge from Ohio State's 2016 team that finished 11-2 and made the College Football Playoff.
The group certainly doesn't have the same firepower as last year, when Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple Taylor Decker and Darron Lee heard their names called among the first 20 picks. The 2017 NFL Draft commences April 27-29 in Philadelphia. Analysts are in full swing projecting where players will go with their early mock drafts.
Here is where Ohio State players are listed in mocks put together by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Dane Brugler and Rob Rang of CBS Sports, Todd McShay of ESPN, Rotoworld's Josh Norris and Dieter Kurtenbach of FOX Sports. Each ranking is from the analyst's latest mock or big board, in most cases their first.
| Prospect | Rang | Brugler | MILLER | McShay | Norris | KURTENBACH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALIK HOOKER, S | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11* | 5 | 10 |
| MARSHON LATTIMORE, CB | – | 22 | 30 | 7* | 24 | – |
| GAREON CONLEY, CB | 37* | 24 | 18 | – | – | – |
| RAEKWON MCMILLAN, LB | – | – | 45 | – | 30 | 28 |
| CURTIS SAMUEL, RB-WR | – | – | 66* | – | – | – |
| PAT ELFLEIN, C | – | – | 78* | – | – | – |
*Number indicates player's rank on the analyst's big board, not mock draft
The 2017 NFL Draft order (as of Jan. 16)
- 1. Cleveland Browns
- 2. San Francisco 49ers
- 3. Chicago Bears
- 4. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 5. Tennessee Titans
- 6. New York Jets
- 7. Los Angeles Chargers
- 8. Carolina Panthers
- 9. Cincinnati Bengals
- 10. Buffalo Bills
- 11. New Orleans Saints
- 12. Cleveland Browns
- 13. Arizona Cardinals
- 14. (tie) Indianapolis Colts
- 14. (tie) Philadelphia Eagles
- 16. Baltimore Ravens
- 17. Washington Redskins
- 18. Tennessee Titans
- 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 20. Denver Broncos
- 21. Detroit Lions
- 22. Miami Dolphins
- 23. New York Giants
- 24. Oakland Raiders
- 25. Houston Texans
- 26. Seattle Seahawks
- 27. Kansas City Chiefs
- 28. Dallas Cowboys
- 29. n/a
- 30. n/a
- 31. n/a
- 32. n/a
Samuel and Brown's names did not appear in any early mock drafts, which isn't too surprising considering each player's situation. Brown's decision to enter the draft came as a bit of a surprise, being that he is a redshirt sophomore with only one year of experience as a starter.
Samuel's versatility is working against him in early mocks. That isn't to say his versatility is a bad thing but analysts will be able to project where he fits in this draft class the more they study him and see him workout. Because Ohio State used him both as a running back and wide receiver — and he thrived at both — where Samuel lands and how his professional team plans to use him is of great interest.
Elflein didn't appear in any mock drafts either, though that also will change as the draft nears. He is projected as a second or third round pick and there just aren't too many mocks out there right now that go beyond the first 32 picks.
Just like last year, Eleven Warriors will keep you updated on how analysts mock the NFL Draft once the draft kicks off at the end of April.
