The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Ohio State’s pro day typically lures representatives from all 32 NFL teams to Columbus, including some of the league’s top coaches, general managers and other decision-makers, and this year should be no different.
With more than a dozen players from last year’s team who could all warrant consideration from scouts as potential NFL draft selections or undrafted free agent signings, Ohio State will be one of the most popular destinations for talent evaluators from throughout the league once again this year.
Ohio State’s 2019 class of NFL draft prospects consists of 14 former Buckeyes, including 10 who already participated in the NFL Scouting Combine.
| Player | Position | Early Entry? | Combine Invite? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DANTE BOOKER | LB | NO | NO |
| NICK BOSA | DE | YES | YES |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL | WR | NO | YES |
| JOHNNIE DIXON | WR | NO | YES |
| DWAYNE HASKINS | QB | YES | YES |
| DRE'MONT JONES | DT | YES | YES |
| MICHAEL JORDAN | OL | YES | YES |
| DEMETRIUS KNOX | OL | NO | NO |
| TERRY MCLAURIN | WR | NO | YES |
| SEAN NUERNBERGER | K | NO | NO |
| MALCOLM PRIDGEON | OL | NO | NO |
| ISAIAH PRINCE | OL | NO | YES |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | YES | YES |
| MIKE WEBER | RB | YES | YES |
All of them will be back inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday for an opportunity to put their skills on display for NFL scouts.
The headlining attraction of Wednesday’s pro day will be Dwayne Haskins’ throwing workout, as the Ohio State quarterback looks to demonstrate once again that he is the best passer in this year’s draft class. While Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray has emerged as the frontrunner to be the first quarterback selected in this year’s draft, Wednesday is an opportunity for Haskins to prove to scouts that he has the ability to make all the throws he will need to make to succeed at the next level.
“I’m gonna do the whole thing as far as route trees, some on-the-move throws and moving off platform throws, so it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Haskins told Eleven Warriors earlier this month.
The New York Giants are reportedly sending a contingent of at least four decision-makers, include head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Shula, to Ohio State to watch Haskins, according to NJ.com’s Ryan Dunleavy. It’s likely that coaches and general managers from other NFL teams considering drafting a quarterback in the first round will be on hand, as well.
In addition to throwing the ball, Haskins is also planning to run the 40-yard dash on Wednesday in hopes of improving his time from the combine, where he battled leg cramps and his fastest 40 time was only 5.04 seconds, the slowest time among all quarterbacks. Haskins also hinted in a tweet earlier this month that Dre’Mont Jones, who ran a 5.12-second 40-yard dash at the combine, will run on Wednesday as well – with both players believing they can improve to a time in the 4.8-second range.
We gone run again at pro day.. we was clocking 4.8s https://t.co/jGBzqAnBLA
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr (@dh_simba7) March 3, 2019
Most of the Buckeyes who already worked out at the combine will likely be only limited participants at Wednesday’s pro day. Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin and Mike Weber are expected to catch passes from Haskins and go through position drills, but they have no need to run the 40 again after all of them clocked times of faster than 4.5 seconds in Indianapolis.
Nick Bosa already informed NFL teams that he will not work out at pro day, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, after already doing everything that he needed to do at the combine. Bosa is already a consensus top-three overall pick in this year’s draft, so he wouldn’t have had much to gain by going through drills again on Wednesday.
Offensive linemen Michael Jordan and Isaiah Prince are also among the Buckeyes who could opt to participate in position drills only on Wednesday after already going through full workouts at the combine.
| PLAYER | HT | WT | 40-YD DASH | ARM | HAND | WING | BENCH | VERT | BROAD | 3-CONE | 20-YD SHUTTLE | 60-YD SHUTTLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NICK BOSA (DE) | 6'3 3/4" | 266 | 4.79 | 33" | 10 3/4" | 77 7/8" | 29 | 33.5" | 9'8" | 7.10 | 4.14 | DNP |
| PARRIS CAMPBELL (WR) | 5'11 7/8" | 205 | 4.31 | 32 1/4" | 9 1/2" | 75 5/8" | 11 | 40" | 11'3" | DNP | 4.03 | DNP |
| JOHNNIE DIXON (WR) | 5'10 3/8" | 201 | 4.41 | 30 1/4" | 9 5/8" | 72 1/2" | 16 | 37.5" | 10' | DNP | 4.43 | DNP |
| DWAYNE HASKINS (QB) | 6'3 3/8" | 231 | 5.04 | 33 1/2" | 9 5/8" | 79 1/2" | DNP | 28.5" | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| DRE'MONT JONES (DT) | 6'2 3/4" | 281 | 5.12 | 33 3/4" | 9 5/8" | 80 5/8" | DNP | 31.5" | 9'2" | 7.71 | 4.53 | DNP |
| MICHAEL JORDAN (OL) | 6'5 7/8" | 312 | 5.27 | 34 1/4" | 10" | 83" | 19 | 32.5" | 9'8" | 7.71 | 4.71 | DNP |
| TERRY MCLAURIN (WR) | 6'0 1/8" | 208 | 4.35 | 31 1/2" | 9 1/8" | 75" | 18 | 37.5" | 10'5" | 7.01 | 4.15 | DNP |
| ISAIAH PRINCE (OT) | 6'6 1/2" | 305 | 5.09 | 35 1/2" | 10 1/8" | 84 4/8" | 23 | 27" | 9'7" | 7.90 | 5.02 | DNP |
| KENDALL SHEFFIELD (CB) | 5'11 3/8" | 193 | DNP | 31 1/2" | 9 1/4" (left), 8 3/4" (right) | 75 5/8" | 6 (injured) | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| MIKE WEBER (RB) | 5'9 5/8" | 211 | 4.47 | 29 3/4" | 9 3/8" | 72 1/4" | 22 | 33.5" | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Kendall Sheffield could certainly benefit from participating in on-field workouts on Wednesday, especially if he is able to run the fast 40 time that he was expected to run in Indianapolis, but it’s uncertain whether he will be able to work out after suffering a partially torn pectoral muscle in the bench press at the combine. Billy Price did not work out at last year’s pro day after suffering a similar injury, though his injury required surgery while Sheffield’s did not.
The four Ohio State draft hopefuls who have the most to gain on Wednesday are those who were not invited to the combine – Dante Booker, Demetrius Knox, Malcolm Pridgeon and Sean Nuernberger – as pro day will be their prime opportunity to make their case to NFL scouts. None of them are sure bets to be drafted, but any of them could improve their chances of at least being a priority free agent signing if they perform well in their workouts.
Knox will be only a limited participant on Wednesday, as he is still recovering from the season-ending Lisfranc foot injury he suffered in the closing minutes of Ohio State’s win over Michigan in November, but he is planning to bench press and go through at least some position drills.
Need-to-know info
All pro day participants will have the option to go through any and all of the athletic tests that athletes participate in at the combine – the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle, 3-cone drill and bench press – as well as drills specific to their respective positions.
More Coverage of Ohio State's NFL Draft Prospects
- Parris Campbell, Ohio State Wide Receivers Improve Their Draft Stock at NFL Scouting Combine
- Michael Jordan Ready to Seize NFL Dream After Tough Decision to Leave Ohio State Early
- Malcolm Pridgeon Looking to Fight Through Adversity Again, Impress NFL Scouts at Ohio State's Pro Day
- Sean Nuernberger Still Kicking, Pursuing Dream of Playing in NFL After Injury-Shortened Final Season at Ohio State
Participants will also have their heights and weights measured and will have the opportunity to spend time with NFL team representatives who wish to meet with them.
Ohio State will be streaming live from pro day beginning at approximately 11 a.m. on OhioStateBuckeyes.com and Facebook, and NFL Network will be broadcasting from pro day beginning at 1 p.m., including live coverage of Haskins’ throwing workout. ESPN will also be on hand for televised coverage of the event.
Pro day will not be open to the public, but Eleven Warriors will be in the building. I will be providing updates on Twitter as the workouts are unfolding. Check back on the site this evening for more coverage from this year’s showcase of Ohio State’s NFL draft prospects.
