Ohio State had five players drafted in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft – four of them missed a substantial part of their rookie seasons with season-ending injuries.
They now enter their second season in the league looking to rebound from the injuries that cut their first ones short.
Gareon Conley – CB – Las Vegas Raiders
Marshon Lattimore lit the NFL on fire during his debut season, but it's easy to forget he was just one of two Buckeye cornerbacks selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft because the other, Gareon Conley, missed almost his entire rookie season.
Conley played just two games in his debut season, racking up seven total tackles and one pass defense. He was sidelined the remainder of the season with lingering injuries.
He hasn't been on the field much, but since his arrival there's been no question about Conley's athleticism, awareness and ability as a lockdown corner.
From Raiders.com:
All it took was one play, a single batted pass, for Gareon Conley to show his teammates, and all of Raider Nation that he could be the real deal.
In 2017, the former first-round pick struggled to stay on the field, dealing with lingering injuries all season long; however, his Week 2 play against the New York Jets was enough to show off both his football I.Q. and athleticism all in a single highlight. Dropping in coverage against Jets wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, Conley went up for a contested ball, batting it initially in the air, then also having the awareness to try and bat it once more to safety Reggie Nelson who was in the vicinity.
Nelson was unable to haul in the interception, but in just one, single play, Conley showed exactly what he could bring to the table as a defensive back.
Here's a look at the play mentioned above:
Gareon Conley is making an impact already pic.twitter.com/8lLh3CVjXE
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) September 17, 2017
Conley enters the 2018 season healthy and is expected to be a day-one starter for the Raiders this season. His coming out party had to wait a season, but it seems he hasn't missed a step.
"He's showing why he was the first-round pick."
— OAKLAND RAIDERS (@RAIDERS) June 6, 2018
Teammates and coaches discussed what @_gconley8 has flashed this spring. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/M6eDdaNyKW
Raekwon McMillan – LB – Miami Dolphins
Raekwon McMillan had perhaps the worst luck of any Buckeye rookie last season.
McMillan tore his ACL in the opening minutes of the first quarter of the Dolphins' first preseason game, ending his debut season before it even started.
Miami's second-round pick, McMillan was penciled in as the team's starting middle linebacker last season, so his injury wasn't just a big blow to McMillan, but for the Dolphins as well.
This season, Miami is expecting big things from the former Buckeye.
From PalmBeachPost.com:
“I was still a rookie last year and I was being thrown into the fire, but I was very confident in myself and what I could do on the field,” McMillan said after today’s practice. “I felt like I could have done big things last year, but it just had to wait until the next year.”
The next year is here, and McMillan’s as important as anyone other than Ryan Tannehill as the Dolphins try to stun a football world that has written them off for 2018. They’re making a string of little bets, counting on a rookie here and a new face there, but McMillan is the closest they have to a sure thing.
His healthy return is better than anything the Dolphins could have done at the position in free agency. Here’s the infusion they’re getting in the middle of their defense: the No. 7 linebacker in his draft class, a 6-foot-2, 248-pound bruiser who can run and a player who rolled up 221 tackles in his last two seasons at Ohio State.
McMillan has yet to play a regular season snap in the NFL, but he figures to play a vital role in the Dolphins defense this season, and it should be exciting to see him perform.
Curtis Samuel – WR – Carolina Panthers
Though he did make his NFL debut last season, Curtis Samuel's season was cut short just after he cracked the starting lineup after an ankle injury in week 10 sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Samuel's injury came shortly after he seemed to find his place in the offense. Samuel joined the starting lineup, and in four games averaged nearly three catches and 25.75 receiving yards per game, becoming increasingly more productive with each start.
He's got enormously high potential, as most Buckeye fans are keenly aware after he was most of Ohio State's offense during the 2016 season, and is one of the most explosive players in the NFL, boasting the second-highest 40-yard dash time of current players.
After spending the offseason rehabbing his injury and changing his diet to stay away from greasy foods that might slow him down, Samuel could be on the verge of a breakout season this year.
Malik Hooker – S – Indianapolis Colts
At one point last season, Malik Hooker was leading the NFL with three interceptions, all coming in his first three starts. But the ball hawk's season was cut short after he suffered a knee injury in week seven, sidelining him for the rest of his rookie campaign.
Before the injury, Hooker appeared to be every bit the electric player he was at Ohio State. He had three interceptions in his first three starts, and in his typical fashion, he took them the other way for decent returns, averaging almost 25-yards a pick.
There's no official timetable for Hooker's return, but when he's back he'll figure to be an integral part of the Colts' defense and provide them with the electric plays he's become known for throughout his career.
