NFL Scouting Combine Preview: Seven Ohio State Draft Prospects Look to Impress Scouts in Indianapolis

In the same stadium where all of them won multiple Big Ten championships during their Ohio State careers, former Buckeye wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, tight end Jeremy Ruckert, offensive linemen Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere and defensive linemen Haskell Garrett and Tyreke Smith are looking to make a positive impression on NFL scouts this week as they participate in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

While all of them are already projected to be selected in the NFL draft, the combine presents an opportunity for them to show just how athletic they are, meet face-to-face with representatives with NFL teams and ideally, leave Indianapolis with higher draft grades than they arrived with.

The headliners from an Ohio State perspective will be Wilson and Olave, who are projected to be the first Buckeye wide receivers selected in the first round of the draft since Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez in 2007. Neither of them really needs to work out at the combine to establish themselves as first-round picks, as they already showed just about everything they need to show during their prolific careers at Ohio State, where Olave caught 176 passes for 2,711 yards and 35 touchdowns and Wilson caught 143 passes for 2,213 yards and 23 touchdowns.

In a draft that could include as many as six or seven first-round wide receivers, though, a strong combine performance could potentially make the difference between being an early first-round pick and a late first-round pick. A faster time in the 40-yard dash or a better all-around performance in combine drills could sway a team when deciding between Olave, Wilson and the draft’s other top wideouts such as USC’s Drake London, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, Penn State’s Jahan Dotson and their former Ohio State teammate Jameson Williams, who won’t be able to work out at the combine after tearing his ACL in Alabama’s national championship game loss to Georgia.

Olave is viewed as a candidate to run one of the fastest 40-yard dash times at the combine, while both of them should excel at the pass-catching and route-running portions of the workout – assuming they choose to actually participate in full workouts, which we could find out Wednesday morning, when both Olave and Wilson are scheduled to meet with the media at the combine.

Wide receivers and tight ends are scheduled to participate in the first night of workouts at this year’s combine on Thursday night, though Ruckert is not expected to work out at all after suffering a foot injury at the Senior Bowl, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

Petit-Frere, Munford and the rest of the offensive linemen will go through their workouts on Friday night. Petit-Frere, who many project to be either a second- or third-round draft pick, is a strong candidate to thrive in the combine setting, which will enable him to put his athleticism on full display for NFL scouts. If he can showcase his quickness in offensive line drills and put up top times in the 40-yard dash and other tests, he could solidify himself as an early-round selection.

Munford, meanwhile, will be looking to prove to scouts he has the versatility to play both tackle and guard at the next level. While he has plenty of tape to show scouts from his four seasons as a starter at Ohio State, Friday will be an opportunity to answer questions about his athleticism, and how well he tests in Indianapolis could determine whether he has a chance to break into the early rounds of the draft or if he falls into the middle rounds of the draft.

RELATED Thayer Munford’s NFL Draft Diary: Former Ohio State Offensive Tackle Looks to Impress Teams at NFL Scouting Combine

Smith, Garrett and the rest of the defensive linemen will go through their on-field workouts on Saturday. Smith might arguably have the most to gain of any Buckeye at this year’s combine, as he never put up huge numbers during his Ohio State career but still flashed plenty of athleticism during his time in Columbus. If Smith tests well in Indianapolis, he could entice a team to draft him in the middle rounds even though he only had eight career sacks in scarlet and gray.

Garrett, like Munford, is currently projected as a third- or fourth-round pick in most mock drafts, so how he performs in his combine workout could go a long way toward determining whether he gets selected on the second day of the draft or has to wait until Day 3 to get selected.

For the first time since 2013, Ohio State does not have any defensive backs at the NFL Scouting Combine this year, so there won’t be any Buckeyes participating in the final day of on-field workouts on Sunday.

All four days of on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium will be televised live on NFL Network, with workouts running from 4-11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 2-7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Each prospect will meet with the media one day before their position groups work out, and Eleven Warriors is in Indianapolis to talk to all of the Buckeyes, so stay tuned for stories, videos and more coverage throughout the week.