Ohio State is going to have a huge presence in the NFL draft once again this spring, and now that the 2019-20 NFL season is complete, more and more draft analysts and football writers are releasing their projections for where the Buckeyes’ top prospects – and everyone else – will end up come April.
In this year’s early mock draft projections, there’s a clear consensus that Ohio State defensive end Chase Young will be the No. 2 overall pick – behind only LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, a former Buckeye himself – while Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah is also unanimously projected to be a top-10 pick. Young is in line to become the Buckeyes’ second straight No. 2 overall pick, following fellow defensive end Nick Bosa, while it could be the second draft in five years (Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott in 2016) in which Ohio State has two top-four overall picks.
Beyond them, Ohio State has at least 10 other prospects who have a realistic chance of being selected in this year’s NFL draft, including several other potential candidates to be early-round picks such as running back J.K. Dobbins, cornerback Damon Arnette, guard Jonah Jackson and linebacker Malik Harrison.
To get an idea of what could be potential spots for each of the Buckeyes’ top prospects, we took a look at 18 different NFL mock drafts from around the Web, as listed below:
- Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller (7 rounds)
- CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ R.J. White (3 rounds)
- Draft Tek (7 rounds)
- ESPN’s Todd McShay (1 round)
- Houston Chronicle’s John McClain (1 round)
- MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke (1 round)
- NFL.com’s Chad Reuter (3 rounds)
- Penn Live’s Daniel Gallen (1 round)
- Pewter Report’s Jon Ledyard (2 rounds)
- Pro Football Network’s Neal Driscoll (7 rounds)
- SB Nation’s Dan Kadar (2 rounds)
- Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson (1 round)
- The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid (2 rounds)
- The Draft Network’s Jonah Tuls (2 rounds)
- The Huddle Report (7 rounds)
- U-T San Diego’s Eddie Brown (2 rounds)
- Yahoo Sports’ Eric Edholm (2 rounds)
All mock drafts included have been updated since the Super Bowl to reflect the actual draft order, though some pick numbers vary from mock to mock due to trade projections and projected compensatory draft picks, which have not yet been finalized.
Chase Young, DE
Brown: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Draft Tek: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Driscoll: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Edholm: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Fornelli: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Gallen: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Hanson: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Huddle Report: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Kadar: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Ledyard: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
McClain: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
McShay: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Miller: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Reid: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Reuter: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Tuls: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
White: Round 1, No. 2 overall, Washington Redskins
Meinke: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Just about everyone is in agreement that the Redskins should select Young with the No. 2 overall pick, and at this point, it would be a massive surprise if they went in any other direction. Considered by many NFL draft analysts to be an even better prospect than the Bosas, he’s simply too good a prospect to pass up for the Redskins, who could pair him with fellow Maryland native and former Ohio State teammate Dwayne Haskins as one of the new faces of their franchise.
The one scenario that could potentially lead the Redskins in a different direction would be if a team offers them a bountiful package of picks to trade up for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which could bump Young down to the No. 3 overall pick, as Meinke projects in his mock draft. As spectacularly talented as Young is, though, the Redskins would be smart to stay put and draft him no matter what they’re offered in a trade-down scenario.
Jeff Okudah, CB
Draft Tek: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Edholm: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Gallen: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Ledyard: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
McClain: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
McShay: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Miller: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Reid: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Reuter: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Tuls: Round 1, No. 3 overall, Detroit Lions
Huddle Report: Round 1, No. 4 overall, New York Giants
Driscoll: Round 1, No. 5 overall, Detroit Lions
Hanson: Round 1, No. 5 overall, Detroit Lions
Fornelli: Round 1, No. 5 overall, Miami Dolphins
Meinke: Round 1, No. 5 overall, Washington Redskins
Brown: Round 1, No. 7 overall, Carolina Panthers
White: Round 1, No. 7 overall, Carolina Panthers
Kadar: Round 1, No. 9 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
More than half of the mock drafts we surveyed project that Young and Okudah will be selected back-to-back with the second and third picks in the draft, which would mark the second time two of the top three overall picks were Buckeyes (Orlando Pace and Shawn Springs, 1997). The Lions need to beef up their pass defense after allowing a league-worst 284.4 passing yards per game in 2019, and Okudah could certainly help them accomplish that with his ability to provide lockdown coverage at cornerback.
This pick is also viewed as a potential trade spot for a team trying to move up for a quarterback, and the Lions targeting Okudah isn’t as sure a bet as the Redskins targeting Young, but he does appear to be a lock to be a top-10 pick and most likely, a top-five pick. Elite cornerback prospects, like defensive ends, are always in high demand, and Okudah is considered to be the best of the best in this year’s draft class.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
McClain: Round 1, No. 22 overall, Buffalo Bills
Hanson: Round 1, No. 29 overall, Tennessee Titans
Fornelli: Round 1, No. 32 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Huddle Report: Round 1, No. 32 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
McShay: Round 1, No. 32 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Edholm: Round 2, No. 39 overall, Miami Dolphins
Tuls: Round 2, No. 39 overall, Miami Dolphins
Draft Tek: Round 2, No. 40 overall, Arizona Cardinals
Reuter: Round 2, No. 40 overall, Arizona Cardinals
Driscoll: Round 2, No. 45 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
White: Round 2, No. 45 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Miller: Round 2, No. 47 overall, Atlanta Falcons
Reid: Round 2, No. 47 overall, Atlanta Falcons
Brown: Round 2, No. 57 overall, Houston Texans
Kadar: Round 2, No. 57 overall, Houston Texans
Among the rest of Ohio State’s draft prospects, Dobbins is the most likely to join Young and Okudah in the first round, as five of the 18 mock drafts we surveyed placed him in the top 32. The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who could make their explosive offense even better by upgrading at running back, are considered a strong candidate to select Dobbins with the final pick of the first round.
If not, Dobbins should come off the board at some point in the second round. The Dolphins, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Falcons and Texans were each projected as potential landing spots for Dobbins in exactly two of the 18 mock drafts we surveyed.
Damon Arnette, CB
Gallen: Round 1, No. 32 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Ledyard: Round 2, No. 39 overall, Miami Dolphins
Edholm: Round 2, No. 47 overall, Atlanta Falcons
White: Round 2, No. 53 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Kadar: Round 2, No. 55 overall, Atlanta Falcons
Tuls: Round 2, No. 56 overall, Miami Dolphins
Driscoll: Round 3, No. 66 overall, Washington Redskins
Miller: Round 3, No. 66 overall, Washington Redskins
Huddle Report: Round 3, No. 67 overall, Detroit Lions
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 140 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Arnette’s early draft projections vary from the final pick of the first round to the late fourth round, but the majority of multi-round mock drafts project that he will be selected between the late second round and the early third round.
Popular projected landing spots for Arnette include the Falcons, where he would be reunited with fellow former Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield, and the Redskins, which could soon be known as Ohio State East if they add Young and Arnette to a roster that includes Haskins and Terry McLaurin.
Damon Arnette's early projections for April's NFL draft range from the end of the first round to the fourth round.
Jonah Jackson, OG
Ledyard: Round 2, No. 33 overall, Cincinnati Bengals
Reuter: Round 3, No. 84 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 104 overall, Cincinnati Bengals
Huddle Report: Round 5, No. 141 overall, Chicago Bears
Miller: Round 5, No. 147 overall, Cincinnati Bengals
Driscoll: Round 5, No. 151 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Like Arnette, draft projections for Jackson vary greatly – from the top of the second round to the middle of the fifth round – but one destination that shows up repeatedly for Jackson in mock drafts is the Bengals, who have made a habit of drafting interior offensive linemen from Ohio State, selecting Billy Price and Michael Jordan in each of the last two drafts.
Should he end up in Cincinnati, who could be looking for more offensive line reinforcements despite investing significant draft capital into the position in recent years, he would likely end up in competition with Jordan and Price for playing time.
Malik Harrison, LB
Edholm: Round 2, No. 52 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Brown: Round 2, No. 54 overall, Buffalo Bills
Reuter: Round 2, No. 59 overall, Seattle Seahawks
Miller: Round 2, No. 62 overall, Green Bay Packers
White: Round 2, No. 62 overall, Green Bay Packers
Draft Tek: Round 3, No. 67 overall, Detroit Lions
Huddle Report: Round 3, No. 73 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Driscoll: Round 3, No. 74 overall, Cleveland Browns
The sweet spot for Harrison’s early draft projections is between the second half of the second round and the first half of the third round, where he shows up in eight of the 18 mock drafts we surveyed.
Although he was somewhat overshadowed by Young, Okudah and some of Ohio State’s other defensive stars during his Buckeye career, Harrison has the tools to be a starting linebacker in the NFL – with the versatility to play either outside or inside, and in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive scheme – and he’ll get that chance if he’s selected on the second day of the draft.
Davon Hamilton, DT
Draft Tek: Round 3, No. 85 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
White: Round 3, No. 91 overall, Oakland Raiders
Huddle Report: Round 5, No. 136 overall, Seattle Seahawks
Driscoll: Round 5, No. 176 overall, Green Bay Packers
Miller: Round 6, No. 184 overall, New York Giants
Going into his senior season, Hamilton probably would have projected as an undrafted free agent, but a strong final year with the Buckeyes and showing at the Senior Bowl could propel him as high as the third round in April’s draft.
Some mock drafts don’t have him coming off the board until the later rounds, but he has solidified himself at this point as a player who will be drafted to beef up an NFL team’s interior defensive line.
K.J. Hill, WR
Reuter: Round 3, No. 95 overall, Denver Broncos
Driscoll: Round 3, No. 97 overall, New England Patriots
Huddle Report: Round 4, No. 98 overall, Washington Redskins
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 105 overall, Washington Redskins
Miller: Round 4, No. 106 overall, Detroit Lions
The early draft projections for Hill are consistent, with five mock drafts – including every mock draft we surveyed that includes at least four rounds – all projecting him to be selected between the final 10 picks of the third round and the first 10 picks of the fourth round.
Two of those five mock drafts have him going to the Redskins, where he could potentially join forces with McLaurin to catch passes from Haskins, just as they did at Ohio State in 2018. Another intriguing projected destination for Hill is the Patriots, whose offense is built for slot receivers like Hill to thrive and who need to add more weapons in their passing game.
Jordan Fuller, S
Miller: Round 6, No. 182 overall, Denver Broncos
Huddle Report: Round 7, No. 195 overall, New York Giants
Driscoll: Round 7, No. 241 overall, Houston Texans
Although he was a three-year starter and two-year captain for Ohio State’s secondary, Fuller isn’t projected to be selected until the late rounds of the draft. He’ll have a chance to potentially bolster his draft stock, though, if he can put up better numbers than expected at the NFL Scouting Combine later this month.
Jashon Cornell, DT
Draft Tek: Round 6, No. 190 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornell hasn’t gotten much buzz so far as a draft prospect and wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he showed some pro potential last season as the starting 3-technique on Ohio State’s defensive line. If he isn’t selected in the sixth or seventh round of the draft, he should at least get a shot to compete for a roster spot as an undrafted free agent.
Binjimen Victor, WR
Miller: Round 6, No. 206 overall, Minnesota Vikings
Draft Tek: Round 7, No. 218 overall, Seattle Seahawks
Victor’s inconsistency during his Ohio State career might keep him from being an early-round NFL draft pick, but the big-play ability he flashed throughout his years as a Buckeye and during his week at the East-West Shrine Game gives him the potential to come off the board in the late rounds. He’s another player who could potentially raise his draft stock and move up boards with a strong showing at the combine.
Binjimen Victor is among the Buckeyes who will be hoping to hear their names called in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL draft.
Robert Landers, DT
Miller: Round 7, No. 225 overall, Green Bay Packers
Driscoll: Round 7, No. 232 overall, Dallas Cowboys
Like Cornell, Landers wasn’t selected to participate in a pre-draft all-star game or the combine, but his four years as a key rotational player on Ohio State’s interior defensive line should warrant some late-round draft consideration. Seventh-round draft projections put him right on the fringe of whether or not he’ll be selected, but he should be snapped up quickly on the free agent market if he goes undrafted.
Other Potential Picks
While Ohio State wide receiver Austin Mack, offensive lineman Branden Bowen and tight end Rashod Berry weren’t included in any of the mock drafts we surveyed, each of them should at least warrant some consideration as potential late-round picks, too. Mack participated in the Senior Bowl and will have another chance to show he should be drafted at the combine later this month, while Bowen and Berry – who did not receive combine invites – participated in the East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, respectively.
As of now, it looks as though they might be most likely to get their NFL opportunities as undrafted free agents, but there’s still plenty of time – including Ohio State’s pro day in March – for them to make an impression and end up being selected in April.
