You could make an entire offensive line of former Buckeyes currently starting in the NFL.
Jack Mewhort and Taylor Decker have each established themselves as prominent tackles in the league, combining for 69 starts on the outside. On the inside, Corely Linsley, Pat Elflein and Alex Boone have combined for 154 starts. Mewhort, Decker, Linsley and Elflein have never been a healthy scratch, starting every game they've been physically able.
Then there's offensive guard Andrew Norwell, who may have had the most successful career of any of the bunch. Norwell has started 54 games since his rookie season in 2014, starting every game he was able since midway through his rookie season. Norwell was named an to the NFL All-Pro team last season recently became the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league this offseason.
You could also toss in the recently retired Nick Mangold for consideration. Mangold had one of the most accomplished seasons of any former Buckeye of the past decade. Mangold retired as a seven-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first team All-Pro.
The point is, Ohio State has produced a ton of quality offensive line talent the past few years. And with the recent NFL Draft selections of Billy Price and Jamarco Jones, that legacy looks to get a little stronger.
Price figures to be a day-one starter in the NFL. Cincinnati's previous center, Russell Bodine, left for Buffalo during free-agency, allowing for Price to step in immediately.
As a four-year starter at Ohio State, breaking the program record for most consecutive starts with 51, Price is a plug-and-play talent that will anchor the Bengals' line from day one and for years to come.
"My goal was, again, to finish up my career at Ohio State and transition to the NFL and to set the league on fire from day one,” Price told Cincinnati.com. “For me, it’s that expectation to go and earn a starting job, to compete from day one, to be that plug-and-play player at center, guard, whatever the team wanted.”
Price's versatility and aggressiveness will be his differentiator at the next level. Price played both center and guard at Ohio State after coming to Columbus as a defensive linemen. That defensive lineman mentality can still be seen in the violent and aggressive manner price blocks.
Billy Price pic.twitter.com/V10kmSjpAY
— J.R. (@JReidDraftScout) November 26, 2017
"Price is one of the rare offensive line prospects who can claim starting experience at all three interior positions," wrote Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus. "Offensive line coaches will love that, as well as the fact that he plays every snap like he’s out for blood. Price is as aggressive an offensive line prospect as there is in this draft."
But Price isn't the only slob entering the NFL this season.
Jones slipped all the way to the end of the fifth round where he was finally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the 168th overall pick. Still, he might be one of the most underrated players in the draft.
A two-year starter at Ohio State, Jones was consistently an anchor on a line that sometimes struggled. Jones quietly held down the left tackle spot for two seasons, protecting J.T. Barrett's blind side and rarely drawing fire for poor play.
The Seattle Seahawks get tremendous value in selecting Ohio State OT Jamarco Jones, the 32nd-ranked player on the PFF big board pic.twitter.com/MfNis2ORRH
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 28, 2018
Jones doesn't have strong measurables and didn't test particularly well at the combine, but he does have a two-year body of work that proves that he could have long-term success in the NFL.
The two linemen are the next former slobs to join the NFL ranks, adding even more talent to the Ohio State position group with the most NFL starters. They may not be the flashiest players in the football field, but Ohio State is really good at producing them.
