Another Ohio State offensive lineman is headed to Cleveland.
After a draft wait that lasted much longer than expected, the three-year Ohio State veteran was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 190 overall pick in the sixth round on Saturday, becoming the third Buckeye offensive lineman selected in the 2023 NFL draft and the second one chosen by the Browns.
going with another big Buckeye#NFLDraft | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/JsRYcHGbg9
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 29, 2023
Wypler joins Dawand Jones, who the Browns took in the fourth round (No. 111 overall), as former Ohio State offensive linemen drafted by the Browns. It’s the first time since 1965, when the Browns drafted Bo Scott and Ed Orazen, that two Ohio State players have been selected by Cleveland in the same draft.
They were the second and third Ohio State offensive linemen selected in this year’s draft, joining Paris Johnson Jr., who was taken with the No. 6 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. It’s the first time since 2004 that three Buckeye offensive linemen have been chosen in the same draft.
Jones and Wypler join former Ohio State defenders Denzel Ward and Tommy Togiai on the Browns’ roster.
Wypler is the sixth overall Buckeye selected in the 2023 draft, also joining C.J. Stroud (No. 2 overall, Houston Texans), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 20 overall, Seattle Seahawks) and Zach Harrison (No. 75 overall, Atlanta Falcons).
The four-star recruit from New Jersey in the class of 2020 was an ironman at center for the Buckeyes over the past two seasons. Wypler led the Ohio State offense with 860 snaps played in 2021, and his 827 snaps in 2022 were tied with Paris Johnson Jr. and Donovan Jackson as the most logged by any member of the Buckeye offense.
Wypler stepped into a starting role as just a redshirt freshman and started all 26 of Ohio State’s games over the last two seasons. As a redshirt sophomore, Wypler was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference media. Wypler anchored an Ohio State offense that led the nation in both yards and points per game in 2021, and the unit finished ninth and second in those categories this past season.
Wypler’s chemistry with C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday, helped the Buckeye quarterback become a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State. Stroud even called Wypler the “Vice President” of the Buckeye offense in terms of on-field personnel this past season. Ohio State went 22-4 with Wypler as its starting center.
Wypler declared for the NFL draft on Jan. 10, a move that caught Ryan Day and some of the Buckeye coaches off-guard, but Wypler felt he was ready to take the next step.
“You couldn’t have really made a bad decision, I kept telling myself. Whatever I choose, I knew I was gonna be alright,” Wypler said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “And for me, the NFL just made more sense at the time.”
With his fall into the sixth round of the draft, Wypler’s decision to enter the draft after just three years will be second-guessed. But now that he’s in the NFL, he’ll look to make the best of where he was drafted and show he should have been selected higher.
