Over the past two NFL drafts, no school has had more first-round picks (8) or more overall draft picks (19) than Ohio State.
Despite losing all of that talent, the Buckeyes are expected to have another loaded draft class in 2018.
Ohio State has more than a half-dozen players with the potential to be early-round selections if they perform well this upcoming season and choose to enter next year’s draft.
Most of that talent is concentrated on the defensive side of the ball, though the Buckeyes have at least one possible first-rounder on offense as well.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller tweeted earlier this month that he believes Ohio State’s defense could include as many as four or five first-round picks, while he also thinks center Billy Price has the potential to go in Round 1.
Early look is another 4-5 Ohio State first-rounders on defense and maybe Price on offense. Loaded as always.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) July 7, 2017
There are actually more than five Ohio State defenders who have the tools, Miller believes, to be early-round draft picks. It’s extremely unlikely that all of them will end up being first-round picks, but Miller believes there are seven or eight draft-eligible Buckeyes defenders who have that potential.
Miller believes the best prospect of the bunch is junior linebacker Jerome Baker. Miller says Baker would currently slot as a top-20 pick in next year’s draft.
"Just because of his athleticism, the position that he plays, it’s easy I think at Ohio State to look back at guys like (former OSU linebackers) Darron Lee and Ryan Shazier," Miller told Eleven Warriors on Tuesday. "(Baker) is that type of athlete, that type of player. They were first-round picks, he’s probably going to be a first-round pick as well."
NDT Scouting’s Joe Marino recently offered a similar assessment, writing that Baker "has the skill set needed to win at linebacker in today’s NFL."
"Baker is an outstanding athlete," Marino wrote. "His burst, long speed, physicality, lateral movements skills and ability to elevate to compete for the football are special. He will be an exciting player to watch this season and he should be even better in his second season as a full-time starter."
Outside of Baker, the most well-known prospects on the Buckeyes’ defense are their defensive ends. Nick Bosa, perhaps the best prospect among them, won’t be eligible for the 2018 draft. Senior Tyquan Lewis and redshirt junior Sam Hubbard, however, are potential first-round picks in their own right. CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso ranks Lewis as the top Ohio State prospect for the 2018 draft and the 14th-best overall prospect. NFLDraftScout.com ranks Hubbard as Ohio State’s best prospect and as the 10th-best overall prospect for the 2018 draft.
Miller, however, views an interior lineman as Ohio State’s best draft-eligible defensive line prospect.
"I think Dre’Mont Jones at defensive tackle has a really good chance to become a first-rounder," Miller said. "I know he’s only a redshirt sophomore, so it might be (2018), it might be (2019), but he definitely stands out as an impact-type player."
Dre'Mont Jones has the potential to be a first-round pick if he declares for the 2018 NFL draft.
Ohio State has had three cornerbacks selected in the first round of the past two drafts, and Miller believes there could be three more future first-round cornerbacks on the roster. Miller says he expects junior cornerback Denzel Ward to be a first-round pick. He says NFL scouts "love" redshirt sophomore cornerback Damon Arnette. He says junior college transfer Kendall Sheffield has future first-round potential too, even though Sheffield has yet to play a down at Ohio State.
"He’s definitely athletic enough," Miller said of Sheffield, who spent last season at Blinn College after redshirting at Alabama in 2015. "Everything I’ve heard from coaches, teammates and scouts is that he will be a first-rounder someday, it’s just a matter of seeing him on the field. Everything I’ve heard from how he looked last year is phenomenal though."
Redshirt junior linebacker Dante Booker, who played only 12 snaps last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury, is another player Miller thinks could play his way into the first-round conversation with a breakout year. Miller also mentioned senior strong safety Damon Webb, who NFLDraftScout.com ranks as the 2018 draft’s 65th-best prospect, as a player with early-round potential. NFLDraftScout.com also ranks senior defensive tackle Michael Hill as the 48th-best prospect for 2018.
All together, that means NFL scouts will have at least 10 draft-eligible players worth taking a serious look at on the Buckeyes defense this season. That makes it a very real possibility that the early rounds of the draft will be loaded once again with Ohio State defenders.
Ohio State’s offense does not appear to be as loaded with 2018 draft prospects, but the Buckeyes’ most solidly projectable early-round pick might be Price. While Price played guard for his first three seasons at Ohio State, Miller expects Price to play center – the position he will play as a senior this year – in the NFL. Miller views Price as a similar prospect to former Alabama center Ryan Kelly, who the Indianapolis Colts selected with the 18th pick in the 2016 draft.
Read More: Billy Price Projected As Star of Ohio State's Offensive Line
Miller says the other senior on Ohio State’s offensive line, Jamarco Jones, has the size and positional experience at left tackle to potentially be an early-round pick. Miller also sees running back Mike Weber, who is only a redshirt sophomore, as a potential second- or third-round pick if he declares for the 2018 draft.
"Touches are going to be key for him … just being able to kind of show off his skill set as a runner, as a receiver, those are the things that really will have to stand out," Miller said of Weber. "But I won’t be surprised if by the end of the year, he’s one of the best running backs in college."
Other potential 2018 draft picks on Ohio State’s offense include tight end Marcus Baugh and wide receiver Parris Campbell, but Miller says he does not expect as of now that either of them will be early-round selections.
Miller does not expect Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett to be selected before the late rounds of the draft unless he demonstrates significant improvement as a passer this season.
"I don’t see him as a starter. You just don’t see the arm strength, the accuracy hasn’t been there," Miller said of Barrett. "But I’ve also seen guys like (Dallas Cowboys and former Mississippi State quarterback) Dak Prescott come along late in their career. So you never want to rule anyone out, but I would say right now based off what I’ve seen, he looks more like a late-round kind of project than anything else."
