The highly anticipated 2020 NFL draft is set to start Thursday night and as many as 10 former Ohio State players are expected to hear their names called this week.
From Chase Young to Jordan Fuller, the Buckeyes draft class includes players from every position group outside quarterback and tight end and projects well to the league. The group will also help Ohio State solidify its status as the league's best pipeline to the NFL.
Here's where every former Buckeye is projected to land from these top NFL mock drafts.
Chase Young
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| CBS Sports | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| USA Today | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| NFL.com | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| SI | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| Sporting news | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
| Walter Football | Washington | R1, No. 2 |
The former Ohio State defensive end is about as strong a lock for the No. 2 selection as there could be.
Young is widely considered the best player in the draft and would go No. 1 overall if not for the quarterback-starved Cincinnati Bengals holding the top spot. The star pass-rusher rewrote Ohio State's single-season sack record despite serving a two-game suspension, and he's a plug-and-play starter in literally any defensive scheme the league has to offer.
There aren't many scenarios that have Young falling past the No. 2 spot.
Jeff Okudah
| Mock Draft | Team | Roung/No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Detroit | R1, No. 3 |
| CBS Sports | Detroit | R1, No. 5 |
| USA Today | Detroit | R1, No. 3 |
| NFL.com | Detroit | R1, No. 3 |
| SI | Detroit | R1, No. 3 |
| Sporting news | Detroit | R1, No. 3 |
| Walter Football | Detroit | R1, No. 5 |
Similarly to Young, Okudah is a near lock to land in Detroit with the Lions.
As Ohio State's star cornerback over the last two seasons, Okudah projects as another day-one starter who will anchor a secondary for the duration of his rookie contract and the ensuing extension he signs. He has the ideal size, speed and coverage abilities to be left on an island and eliminate whatever part of the field he's on.
Whether Detroit holds true at No. 3 or trades down with the Dolphins at No. 5, it looks like Okudah is there guy.
J.K. Dobbins
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Kansas City | R2, No. 63 |
| CBS Sports | Rams | R2, No. 57 |
| USA Today | Pittsburgh | R2, No. 49 |
| NFL.com | Tennessee | R3, No. 93 |
| SI | Tampa Bay | R2, No. 45 |
| Sporting news | Tampa Bay | R2, No. 45 |
| Walter Football | Baltimore | R2, No 55 |
J.K. Dobbins is coming off the single greatest season for an Ohio State running back in school history.
The undersized yet powerful runner paced Ohio State's offense with 2,003 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. He showed the ability throughout his collegiate career to catch passes out of the backfield, hauling in 71 receptions in three seasons.
Only one outlet reviewed had Dobbins falling into the third round. Landing in Tampa Bay to complement Tom Brady in his new backfield is a popular projection.
Damon Arnette
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Washington | R2, No. 66 |
| CBS Sports | Atlanta | R2, No. 47 |
| USA Today | Houston | R2, No. 40 |
| NFL.com | Jets | R2, No. 48 |
| SI | Chicago | R2, No. 43 |
| Sporting news | Denver | R3, No. 77 |
| Walter Football | Tennessee | R2, No. 61 |
Ohio State has sent waves of cornerback talent to the NFL in recent years with the likes of Denzel Ward and Marshon Lattimore thriving as all-pros.
Okudah will continue that trend in the first round, but whichever team selects Damon Arnette is getting an absolutely steal in the second (or as Sporting News see it, the third) round.
Arnette considered leaving Ohio State after the 2018 season but opted to stay and improve his draft stock. After a dominant season in the Buckeyes secondary, he improved his projection as a late-round flyer to a high day-two pick.
Malik Harrison
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Seattle | R2, No. 64 |
| CBS Sports | Cleveland | R3, No. 74 |
| USA Today | New England | R3, No. 87 |
| NFL.com | Kansas City | R2, No. 63 |
| SI | Carolina | R3, No 69 |
| Sporting news | Philedalphia | R2, No. 53 |
| Walter Football | New England | R4, No. 125 |
The speed element in Ohio State's linebacker unit over the last two seasons is off the NFL, where he's projected to come of the board as high as the middle of the second round and as low the tail end of the fourth.
It's hard to envision a scenario in which Malik Harrison is still waiting to hear his name called on day three of the draft. Ohio State's leading tackler in each of the last two seasons, Harrison has an incredible knack for tracking the ball and can make plays all over the field, which includes the backfield as a blitzer.
Jonah Jackson
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Jets | R5, No. 158 |
| CBS Sports | Detroit | R3, No. 70 |
| USA Today | Pittsburgh | R3, No 102 |
| NFL.com | Denver | R3, No 95 |
| SI | Detroit | R4, No. 109 |
| Sporting news | Detroit | R3, No. 85 |
| Walter Football | Giants | R7, No. 219 |
Jonah Jackson transferred from Rutgers to Ohio State for his final season in an effort to win a championship and elevate his chances to be drafted.
He accomplished the latter in a dramatic way. The bruising interior lineman is bullish in run blocking and holds his own on passing downs, and he's a popular pick to hear his name called in round three.
Detroit has a need at guard and a lot of mock drafters like Jackson there in either the third or fourth round.
DaVon Hamilton
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | New England | R4, No. 125 |
| CBS Sports | Minnesota | R3, No. 105 |
| USA Today | Houston | R4, No. 111 |
| NFL.com | New England | R3, No. 100 |
| SI | Pittsburgh | R3, No. 102 |
| Sporting news | Pittsburgh | R3, No. 102 |
| Walter Football | Seattle | R2, No. 64 |
DaVon Hamilton went from an overlooked 3-star prospect to a solid contributor in Larry Johnson's defensive line rotation, then morphed this season into a solid mid-round projection.
Hamilton is a wrecking ball at defensive tackle and clearly took to Larry Johnson's coaching and technique.
Some outlets have him going as high as the second round, but the third is likely when Hamilton will be taken off the board.
K.J. Hill
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Chicago | R5, No. 163 |
| CBS Sports | Denver | R4, No. 118 |
| USA Today | Rams | R4, No. 126 |
| NFL.com | Carolina | R5, No. 152 |
| SI | Minnesota | R3, No. 105 |
| Sporting news | New England | R4, No. 100 |
| Walter Football | Detroit | R4, No. 109 |
Some team is going to be very lucky to get K.J. Hill at the backend of day two or somewhere on day three.
The sense is that K.J. Hill is going to come into the league similarly to Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin was a third-round selection by Washington a season ago, and he burst out in his rookie season and ended up leading the team in receiving yards.
Hill, who excels in route-running and catches just about everything thrown his way, could do something similar in 2020.
Jordan Fuller
| Mock Draft | Team | Pick No. |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Miller | Washington | R7, No. 229 |
| CBS Sports | San Fransisco | R7, No. 217 |
| USA Today | Giants | R6, No. 183 |
| NFL.com | – | – |
| SI | New England | R6, No. 213 |
| Sporting news | Buffalo | R6, No. 188 |
| Walter Football | Dallas | R7, No. 231 |
Jordan Fuller has anchored Ohio State's secondary at safety and he's ready to do the same at the next level.
The free-ranging safety projects as a round six or seven selection in all but one mock draft reviewed. NFL.com thinks Fuller will go undrafted, but that seems unlikely because at the very least, he can provide depth in the pass-heavy league at worst and be a solid starter at best.
There are also individual instances that have both Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor going in the seventh round.
