C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba don’t know what teams will select them in Thursday night’s first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
All three of them can feel confident they will be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, though, and all three of them will walk across the stage outside Union Station in Kansas City on Thursday night after their names are called. That leaves all of them with far more reason for excitement than anxiety going into what’s sure to be a life-changing night for all three of them.
“I'm gonna sleep like a baby,” Stroud said Wednesday when asked what his nerves would be like on the eve of the draft. “I mean, I don’t gotta make the hard decision, I just gotta pull up in a suit. So I did everything I can do in my control, and now it's up to the team to pick.”
Where Stroud will end up isn’t just the biggest storyline for Ohio State’s draft class entering Thursday night, but the biggest storyline of the entire draft. While Stroud was once viewed as a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick and a lock to be a top-two pick, he’s now considered unlikely to be either and could potentially face a longer wait to hear his name called than anyone would have expected just a few weeks ago.
If the Carolina Panthers draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick as expected, and the Houston Texans opt to go in another direction with the No. 2 pick, there’s no clear answer for where Stroud will go.
The Arizona Cardinals are believed to be interested in trading down from the No. 3 overall pick, which could lead to someone trading up into that spot for Stroud. The Tennessee Titans (who hold the No. 11 pick), Detroit Lions (who have the sixth and 18th picks) and the Las Vegas Raiders (who have the seventh pick) are viewed as three of the most likely candidates to make that move and jump the Indianapolis Colts, who have good reason to draft Stroud with the No. 4 pick.
Yet it’s possible the Cardinals could stay put – or trade the pick to a team that wants someone other than Stroud – and that the Colts could prefer Kentucky quarterback Will Levis or Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson over Stroud. In that case, the Seattle Seahawks – who could draft their quarterback of the future even after re-signing Geno Smith this offseason – would be the only team standing in the way of a slide out of the top five that would have seemed unfathomable for Stroud even a week or two ago.
Sooner than later, though, Stroud will be drafted on Thursday night and become Ohio State’s third first-round quarterback in the past five years, following 2019 No. 15 overall pick Dwayne Haskins and 2021 No. 11 overall pick Justin Fields. With no shortage of teams at least considering drafting him, Stroud knows he’s fortunate to be in the position he’s in and says all he really cares about Thursday night is landing with a team he fits with.
“I would love to go to the right fit. I think that's more important to me,” Stroud said. “If that's number one, number two, number three, number 10, number 25; whatever that is, that's God's plan. And that's what I'm willing to walk with.
“I know every team I've talked to, I'll be excited to go to any one of them teams. I don't know what's gonna happen, we'll see. I know a lot of noise has been happening. But for me, I can only just be myself and control what I can control.”
While Stroud is the headliner of Ohio State’s draft class, it’s not out of the question that Johnson could actually be the first Buckeye drafted on Thursday night. As of Wednesday evening, Johnson had emerged as the betting favorite at some sportsbooks to be the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has been lobbying for Arizona to draft Johnson, so he could potentially be the Cardinals’ pick if they stay put at the third spot.
Other potential landing spots for Johnson include the Raiders, Chicago Bears (No. 9), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 10), Titans, Green Bay Packers (No. 13), New England Patriots (No. 14) and New York Jets (No. 15). As the draft has drawn closer, it’s appeared increasingly likely that Johnson will be the first offensive tackle off the board and hear his name called inside the top 10.
Johnson said he isn’t paying much attention to where mock drafts have him going, but like Stroud, he feels blessed to be in the position he’s in.
“I'm trying to take it in slow, I’ve just been enjoying it,” Johnson said Wednesday. “A lot of mock drafts don't really know what the GMs are thinking. I saw the Draft Day movie the other day, so I realized, you never really know till that day.”
Like Johnson, Smith-Njigba is also projected to be the first player off the board at his position as the top wide receiver in the draft class. The likely range for his draft selection appears to be between the 10th and 15th picks, as the Eagles, Titans, Texans (who pick again at No. 12), Packers, Patriots and Jets are all teams that could strongly consider drafting him.
Smith-Njigba said Wednesday that he didn’t have any guess where he would end up but that he was eager to see how it unfolds.
“A lot of things can happen,” Smith-Njigba said. “So I'm excited to see what happens.”
Assuming all three of them are selected in the top 15, it will be the first time since 2016 and the fourth time ever that Ohio State has had three top-15 draft choices. No school had three top-15 picks in last year’s draft. Collectively, they will bring Ohio State to 90 first-round draft picks all-time, extending OSU’s lead for the most of any college football program.
Once Stroud, Johnson and Smith-Njigba are off the board, the draft intrigue from an Ohio State perspective will turn to whether Dawand Jones becomes the Buckeyes’ 91st all-time first-round pick on Thursday night. If not, he’ll be expected to come off the board early on Friday, as the former Buckeye offensive tackle is projected to be either a late first-round pick or a second-round pick.
Former Ohio State center Luke Wypler and defensive end Zach Harrison are also likely to get the call from the league Friday, as both of them have been widely projected as third-round picks with the possibility of going late in Round 2. If they both go within the top 100 picks along with Stroud, Johnson, Smith-Njigba and Jones, Ohio State would have at least six top-100 picks for the eighth time in school history and the first time since 2020.
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- Zach Harrison Eager to "Prove People Who Believed in Me Right"
The third day of the draft could end up being the quietest day for the Buckeyes, as safety Ronnie Hickman is the only Ohio State player who’s been consistently projected to be drafted in the final four rounds. That said, there are several other Buckeyes who have a realistic chance of coming off the board in the sixth or seventh round, including defensive backs Cameron Brown and Tanner McCalister and defensive tackle Taron Vincent.
Any of them who don’t get drafted are likely to be signed quickly as undrafted free agents. Other members of last year’s Ohio State football team who are more likely to go undrafted but could still land NFL opportunities include defensive tackle Jerron Cage, fullback/tight end Mitch Rossi, kicker Noah Ruggles, long snapper Bradley Robinson and linebacker Palaie Gaoteote. Former Ohio State club football quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein, who is now a recruiting intern for the varsity Buckeyes, is also hoping to get an invitation to a rookie minicamp after working out as a defensive back at Ohio State’s pro day.
The 2023 NFL draft begins at 8 p.m. Thursday. Rounds 2-3 will be held Friday beginning at 7 p.m. while Rounds 4-7 will take place Saturday starting at noon. All seven rounds will be televised on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes.
Stay tuned with Eleven Warriors for coverage of every Ohio State draft pick, including on-site first-round coverage from Kansas City as Stroud, Johnson and Smith-Njigba are selected, as well as updates on every Buckeye who signs an undrafted free-agent deal after the draft.
