He had to watch four other running backs come off the board first, but J.K. Dobbins' NFL draft wait has come to an end.
The former Ohio State running back was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 55 overall pick in Friday night's second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
JK2Ks moment is here. @Jkdobbins22
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 25, 2020
Watch the 2020 #NFLDraft April 23-25 on NFL Network/ESPN/ABC.#GoBucks #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/XQImsaTtqv
He's the fourth Buckeye off the board in this year's draft, joining first-round picks Chase Young, Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette.
Dobbins becomes the third Ohio State running back in seven years to be selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft, joining Ezekiel Elliott (No. 4 overall pick in 2016) and Carlos Hyde (No. 57 overall pick in 2014).
"Can you help us?"
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2020
"Oh yeah, definitely."
Inside Eric DeCosta's call with @Jkdobbins22: pic.twitter.com/Qh3rGIPxjb
He's the fifth running back off the board in this year's draft, following LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire (the only running back selected in the first round), Georgia's D'Andre Swift, Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor and Florida State's Cam Akers.
Dobbins fell to the late second round despite a record-setting career at Ohio State in which he became the first player in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Dobbins rushed for over 1,000 yards in all three of his seasons as a Buckeye, finishing his career with 4,459 rushing yards – the second-most in school history, behind only Archie Griffin – and 38 rushing touchdowns to go along with 71 catches for 645 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Over the course of his three years at Ohio State, Dobbins proved himself to be a durable, consistently productive running back with a well-rounded skill set, and his final season as a Buckeye cemented his status as an early-round draft pick. He'll be expected to make an immediate impact as a rookie as he joins Lamar Jackson in the backfield of one of the NFL's most explosive offenses, though he'll likely split carries with veteran running back Mark Ingram.
"I'm going to get to play with the MVP." @Jkdobbins22 pic.twitter.com/QCLOJ3jOqq
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2020
Playing for the Ravens also means he'll be playing for John Harbaugh, the older brother of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
“I might give him some flak about it, because I beat his brother every time I played him,” Dobbins said in his press conference with Ravens reporters after being drafted.
.@Jkdobbins22 on playing for a Harbaugh coming from @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/u9oLMuRUSl
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2020
Dobbins is the first Buckeye drafted by the Ravens since John Simon in 2013. They do not currently have any other former Ohio State players on their roster.
