Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. Across the Shield follows those who once wore Scarlet and Gray on their journeys through the NFL.
Terrelle Pryor's Redskin Debut
Last season, Terrelle Pryor racked up over 1,000 receiving yards during his first season ever playing wide receiver.
At 6-4, 230 lbs. and with 4.4 speed, Pryor has all the tools to be a legitimate No. 1 receiver and looked the part at times last year. He was the Browns leading receiver by a wide, wide margin and often times seemed to be the team's only consistent offensive weapon.
Now, Pryor a member of the Washington Redskins on a value, one-year "prove-it" contract, trying to show everyone last season was no fluke and he deserves a high level contract.
With his performance on Sunday, he's well on his way.
Pryor had six catches for 66 yards in his Redskin debut, leading all Washington receivers.
NFL reports Hello, TerrellePryor!
— ATL Sports Bar (@theatlsportsbar) September 10, 2017
#PHIvsWAS #HTTR pic.twitter.com/VbgHhhiii4
Pryor's contract has $2 million in incentives. For him to get the full $2 million, he needs 80 catches, 1,250 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
With his performance Sunday, he's on pace for 96 catches for 1,056 yards. Not too shabby.
Ezekiel Elliott Reaches Century Mark
You may or may not have heard some news regarding Ezekiel Elliott these past few weeks. But after everything that's gone down, the former Buckeye back was on the field Sunday night.
Turns out, he's still good at football.
Playing against the Giants, who beat the Cowboys twice last season and limited Elliott's effectiveness in both games, Elliott finished with 24 rushes for 104 yards and added five catches for 36 yards.
He didn't find the end zone and didn't have a run of over 10 yards, but he was a consistent workhorse that helped the Cowboys control the game virtually from start to finish.
His status for next week is still slightly up in the air, but there's a real possibility he'll play every game this season.
Rookie Debuts
Seven Buckeyes were taken in April's NFL Draft, but only two of them made their NFL debut's on Sunday. Raekwon McMillan will miss the entire season with a torn ACL, Gareon Conley missed the opener with a shin injury and Noah Brown was listed as inactive.
The other two – Marshon Lattimore and Pat Elflein – will make their NFL debuts on Monday night.
Curtis Samuel
After missing much of the preseason with an injury, Curtis Samuel made his regular-season debut on Sunday:
The former Buckeye didn't have a touch or a target in the game, but according to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, Samuel was on the field for 15 of 67 total snaps.
He did have one highlight on Sunday though:
Rookie duties don't end once the regular season starts...
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 10, 2017
Cam's got @CurtisSamuel4__ carrying his bags pic.twitter.com/ZC5yl3sQkt
Malik Hooker
He didn't start, but after a few snaps former Buckeye ball hawk Malik Hooker came in for Matthias Farley at safety, making his NFL debut with the Indianapolis Colts.
His Colts debut was slightly less exciting than his Buckeye debut, though, as he finished with four total tackles and no interceptions – one handed or otherwise.
Monday Night Preview
Quite a few former Buckeyes will make their NFL debuts on Monday night.
Vikings vs. Saints (7:30 p.m.)
The early game between the Vikings and the Saints will be especially Buckeye-heavy.
On the Minnesota side, rookie Pat Elflein will be making his NFL debut as the Vikings' starting center.
On the New Orleans side, the Saints have four former Ohio State players who will either start or regularly contribute. Michael Thomas emerged as the team's top receiver last season and New Orleans added former Buckeye speedster Ted Ginn Jr. during the offseason. Defensively, the Saints secondary will feature rookie Marshon Lattimore and second-year Vonn Bell.
Chargers vs. Broncos (10:20 p.m.)
These two rosters actually feature just one fewer Buckeye than the earlier game, but not in prominent starting roles.
One guy you will see a lot of is Joey Bosa, who plays DE/LB for the Chargers. Bosa is quickly emerging as one of the top edge rushers in the NFL and put up staggering numbers in just 12 games last season. He'll look to pick up right where he left off last season on Monday night.
The Broncos have two former Buckeyes on their roster: Bradley Roby and Jeff Heuerman. You can expect both to play in meaningful moments, especially Roby, but neither will start.
Of course, we can't forget about Dolodale. The Chargers traded for Cardale Jones during the offseason, and the Buckeye legend remains on the L.A. roster. There's a slim chance he's even active on Monday night, however.
Ohio Against the World
We're at it again, folks. I'm out to shock the world with my fantasy team made up exclusively of former Ohio State players.
I came shockingly close to winning multiple games last season, but ultimately finished the season winless. However, I'm optimistic I can get at least one win this year.
But it's probably not going to happen this week, barring magical performances from Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr. and Jeff Heuerman.
Looks like I'm headed for a week one loss to Barfolomew. At this point I'm just hoping my face ends up in his victory celebration gif.
