Ohio State offensive lineman Michael Jordan will enter the 2019 NFL draft, he announced Friday on Twitter.
Ohio State offensive lineman Michael Jordan announces he will declare for the 2019 NFL draft. https://t.co/ni2Swjx231
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 4, 2019
According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, Jordan will be represented by prominent NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus.
A three-year starter for the Buckeyes, Jordan was named by multiple media outlets as a first-team All-American at center this past season after playing left guard in his first two seasons at Ohio State.
Likely to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft, Jordan is the first Ohio State offensive lineman to leave for the NFL after three years since Orlando Pace in 1997. That said, he was also the first Ohio State offensive lineman since Pace to start the season opener as a true freshman back in 2016, and he has started every game for the Buckeyes over the past three seasons – making him unusually experienced for an offensive lineman with remaining eligibility.
Jordan is expected to move back to guard at the next level, and would have had the opportunity to move back to guard at Ohio State if he returned for his senior season. New Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said the last week that the plan, if Jordan returned, was for Jordan to move back to guard and for Josh Myers to take over as the Buckeyes' new center.
Ultimately, though, Jordan decided that he was ready to take his game to the next level.
“I got two years at guard, so I think anything I do coming back another year is just to build upon that, start where I left off, continue to build,” Jordan said on Saturday before making his decision.
With Jordan's departure, the Buckeyes are losing four starting offensive linemen from this past season, as Malcolm Pridgeon, Demetrius Knox and Isaiah Prince were all seniors. Myers is likely to replace Jordan at center, while Wyatt Davis is likely to start at one guard spot, and Branden Bowen – who did not play at all this past season while recovering from injury, but started six games at right guard in 2017 – could be the favorite for the other starting spot.
