NFL Preseason Update: Rod Smith & Noah Brown Fight to Make the Team, Cameron Johnston & Mike Nugent in Position Battles and Pat Elflein Impresses

By Kevin Harrish on August 22, 2017 at 10:10 am
Rod Smith has had quite an impressive NFL preseason.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
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In nine days, Ohio State will officially take the field on the road against Indiana, kicking off the 2017 season with a bang.

But what if I told you that there are Buckeyes already playing football for your viewing enjoyment?

Admittedly, it's not quite the same thing, but the NFL preseason is well underway, and there are quite a few former Buckeyes making waves as they try to lock up roster spots or simply make NFL teams.

To help hold you over until real, competitive football starts, let's take a look at some of the NFL preseason highlights and storylines involving former Buckeyes.

Noah Brown

Remember when Noah Brown's route running made an Oklahoma cornerback look like a child who momentarily lost his parents at a county fair?

Got him.

Well he's doing it in the NFL, too.

And it appears he's doing the same thing in practice, as well.

As a seventh round pick, Brown knew he had to prove himself during camp and the preseason games to make the Cowboys' final 53-man roster, and if he keeps looking that crisp while making plays like that, he might be well on his way.

So far this preseason, Brown has four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Though, things like this certainly don't help his chances:

Specialist Battles

Two former Buckeye specialists themselves in preseason position battles, but in completely opposite positions. Cameron Johnston is a rookie trying to unseat a veteran for the roster spot, while Mike Nugent is a veteran trying to hold off a first-year player.

In both cases, the race is neck-and-neck.

Nugent is a perfect 3-for-3 on the season, hitting from 30, 38 and 45 yards in his two preseason games, but his counterpart was also perfect, and from deeper as Aldrick Rosas hit field goals from 27, 47 and 53 yards.

In Philadelphia, Johnston is battling with 14-year veteran Donnie Jones. The two are splitting punting duties this offseason and so far, it looks 50-50.

If all is equal in a few weeks, you have to figure the teams will go with the younger, cheaper player. If that's the case, it's good news for Johnston and bad news for Nugent.

Rod Smith

Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension has made the Cowboys' backup running back situation quite a bit more interesting.

Dallas has quite a few proven veterans to choose from with Darren McFadden, Ronnie Hillman and Alfred Morris on the roster, but former Buckeye Rod Smith is trying to prove he should not only make the roster, but get some of those first-team carries.

He's put together a nice little preseason highlight reel.

Though he's listed as a fullback on the roster, Smith got the bulk of the load in the team's opening Hall of Fame game, rushing 18 times for 64 yards and catching three passes out of the backfield for 25 yards.

In the second game, Smith played sparingly as the Cowboys gave the other running backs a chance to play, and collectively they didn't even match Smith's sole production in the first game, combining for just 49 yards rushing.

Smith got more action against the Colt in Dallas' third preseason game where he rushed for 53 yards on seven carries and had three catches for 27 yards.

Rod is also the brother of former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, who made his NFL debut this preseason after missing the entire 2016 season with a knee injury he sustained against Ohio State in the 2015 Fiesta Bowl.

Curtis Grant

A few years removed from Ohio State, former Buckeye linebacker Curtis Grant is still trying to make it in the league.

After returning to school to finish his degree and train at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where he walks around like he owns the place, according to Urban Meyer, Grant is on the Giants preseason roster, doing everything he can to make the final roster.

He got a few breaks too. After quite a few injuries to linebackers above him on the depth chart, Grant found himself getting some first-team reps during practice and in preseason games.

From NYDailyNews.com:

Grant, standing at 6-foot-3, 249 pounds, says the biggest challenge is trying to become a more versatile player.

“Coach has given me a big role. If somebody gets hurt I get a chance to go in and just trying to learn on the fly,” he told the Daily News. “There’s a lot of information, but at the same time there’s a task you got to conquer.”

The 24-year-old understands that the chance to play with the first team doesn’t present itself very often for an undrafted free agent like himself, so he needs to make the most of it.

“Your opportunities are very slim,” Grant said. “So the ones that you do get you got to take advantage of and you never know when it might be your last play.”

In two preseason games, Grant has seven total tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Pat Elflein

Surprising nobody, Pat Elflein has been turning heads since his arrival in Minnesota and could be named a rookie starter in a couple of weeks.

Elflein, battling with Nick Easton for the starting center job, has played extensively throughout the preseason and has even earned praise from quarterback Sam Bradford for his ability to direct the offensive line in a raucous environment.

More than that, though, Elflein has just been mauling people in the trenches.

If Elflein earns the job, there will be two former Buckeyes on the Viking offensive line as Alex Boone is the team's starting left guard.

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