Ohio State has thrice had three of the first 15 players selected in an NFL draft. The Buckeyes have also had the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft three times.
If recent mock drafts have an accurate read on how the first round of the draft will play out, Ohio State could achieve both of those milestones once again during the first round of this year’s draft on April 27.
Although there have been plenty of rumors that the Carolina Panthers could draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud remains the clearly favored choice to be the top pick in mock drafts. Paris Johnson Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are also both projected to be top-15 picks in a majority of the mock drafts we included in this 2023 NFL mock draft roundup, which includes more than three dozen new mock drafts, all of which were published in the past two weeks.
The full list of mocks included in this edition of the roundup:
- Bleacher Report Scouting Department (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso (3 rounds)
- CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards (3 rounds)
- CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli (1 round)
- CBS Sports’ Will Brinson (1 round)
- Draft Countdown’s Shane Hallam (7 rounds)
- Draft Tek (7 rounds)
- Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy (3 rounds)
- Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon (3 rounds)
- ESPN’s Jordan Reid (7 rounds)
- ESPN’s Todd McShay (2 rounds)
- Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre (1 round)
- Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer (1 round)
- NBC Sports Edge’s Kyle Dvorchak (1 round)
- NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks (1 round)
- NFL.com’s Chad Reuter (4 rounds)
- NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund (1 round)
- NFL.com’s Eric Edholm (1 round)
- NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein (1 round)
- Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner (3 rounds)
- Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo (1 round)
- Pro Football Network’s Joe Broback (3 rounds)
- Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller (3 rounds)
- Pro Football Network’s Ian Valentino (3 rounds)
- Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer (7 rounds)
- Tankathon (3 rounds)
- The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman (1 round)
- The Athletic’s Diante Lee and Nate Tice (1 round)
- The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner (3 rounds)
- The Draft Network’s Damian Parson (2 rounds)
- The Draft Network’s Keith Sanchez (2 rounds)
- The 33rd Team Scouting Department (2 rounds)
- Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar (3 rounds)
- USA TODAY’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (1 round)
QB C.J. Stroud
No. 1, Carolina Panthers: 29 (Baumgardner, Broback, Brooks, B/R, Dvorchak, Edholm, Edwards, Farrar, Feldman, Fornelli, Frelund, Hallam, Iyer, Lee/Tice, McShay, Middlehurst-Schwartz, Miller, Parson, Popejoy, Prisco, Reid, Renner, Reuter, Risdon, Sanchez, Tankathon, Valentino, Wilson, 33rd Team)
No. 2, Houston Texans: 4 (Brinson, Draft Tek, Palazzolo, Stackpole)
No. 4, Indianapolis Colts: 3 (Farmer, McIntyre, Trapasso)
No. 4, Baltimore Ravens: 1 (Zierlein)
Since our last roundup following the Panthers’ trade for the No. 1 overall pick in March, the percentage of mock drafts projecting Stroud to be the draft’s top choice has increased, with nearly 80% (29 of 37) of mock drafters in this roundup believing the Panthers will draft the Ohio State quarterback to be the new face of their franchise when all is said and done.
The eight mock drafters who don’t have Stroud going to Carolina are split 50/50 on whether the Houston Texans will take Stroud if he’s available at the No. 2 overall pick. Three of the four mock drafts that have Stroud falling out of the top two have the Panthers taking Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson at No. 1 and the Texans taking Young at No. 2, while Lance Zierlein has the Texans waiting to draft a quarterback and taking Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson at No. 2 instead.
None of the mock drafts in this roundup have Stroud falling past the No. 4 overall pick, where the Indianapolis Colts are likely to take the best quarterback available – unless they trade the pick to the Baltimore Ravens for Lamar Jackson, as Zierlein projects along with projecting the Ravens will draft Stroud as Jackson’s replacement.
OT Paris Johnson Jr.
No. 4, Las Vegas Raiders: 1 (Wilson)
No. 7, Las Vegas Raiders: 2 (Feldman, Trapasso)
No. 9, Chicago Bears: 13 (Baumgardner, Broback, Draft Tek, Dvorchak, Edholm, Lee/Tice, McIntyre, Middlehurst-Schwartz, Miller, Popejoy, Stackpole, Tankathon, 33rd Team)
No. 9, New England Patriots: 1 (Fornelli)
No. 10, Philadelphia Eagles: 2 (Farrar, Iyer)
No. 11, Tennessee Titans: 5 (Brooks, B/R, Prisco, Renner, Reuter)
No. 13, New York Jets: 8 (Brinson, Frelund, Hallam, McShay, Palazzolo, Parson, Reid, Sanchez)
No. 14, New England Patriots: 2 (Edwards, Valentino)
No. 16, Washington Commanders: 1 (Zierlein)
No. 17, Pittsburgh Steelers: 1 (Farmer)
No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1 (Risdon)
More than a third of the mocks in this roundup have the Chicago Bears using the No. 9 overall pick, which they acquired in their trade down with the Panthers, to improve their protection on Justin Fields’ blind side by drafting his former Ohio State teammate to be their new left tackle.
The second-most popular projected destination for Johnson is the New York Jets, who hold the No. 13 overall pick and could also look to use their first-round pick on a left tackle with Mekhi Becton playing just one game in the last two years due to knee injuries. Only five of the 37 mock drafts in this roundup have Johnson falling past the 13th pick, while only three have him falling out of the top 15 and none have him falling out of the top 20.
All but eight of the 37 mock drafts in this roundup have Johnson going between the ninth and 13th overall picks. The three most optimistic projections for Johnson have the Las Vegas Raiders drafting him in the top seven, with Ryan Wilson projecting the Raiders – who would likely be drafting Johnson to play right tackle, where his former Ohio State teammate Thayer Munford started four games last year – to trade up to the No. 4 overall pick to ensure they have the chance to draft Johnson.
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
No. 9, Chicago Bears: 1 (Trapasso)
No. 11, Tennessee Titans: 7 (Draft Tek, Farrar, Feldman, McShay, Middlehurst-Schwartz, Palazzolo, Zierlein)
No. 12, Houston Texans: 11 (Brooks, Dvorchak, Farmer, Fornelli, Hallam, McIntyre, Miller, Reid, Stackpole, Tankathon, Wilson)
No. 14, New England Patriots: 1 (Popejoy)
No. 14, Seattle Seahawks: 1 (Renner)
No. 15, Green Bay Packers: 5 (Edwards, Frelund, Parson, Reuter, 33rd Team)
No. 16, Los Angeles Chargers: 1 (Edholm)
No. 20, Seattle Seahawks: 4 (Broback, Iyer, Risdon, Sanchez)
No, 21, Los Angeles Chargers: 1 (Prisco)
No. 23, Minnesota Vikings: 1 (B/R)
No. 24, Jacksonville Jaguars: 1 (Baumgardner)
No. 25, New York Giants: 1 (Lee/Tice)
No. 27, Buffalo Bills: 1 (Valentino)
No. 30, Philadelphia Eagles: 1 (Brinson)
After Smith-Njigba proved he’s plenty fast enough for the NFL by running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at Ohio State’s pro day, a majority of mock drafters in this roundup believe the Ohio State wide receiver will also be a top-15 pick. While a reunion with Fields in Chicago is also possible for Smith-Njigba, the two most popular projected destinations for JSN are the Titans and the Texans, who pick back-to-back with the first two selections outside of the top 10.
Other popular projected landing spots for Smith-Njigba include the Green Bay Packers, who will be looking to add another weapon for new starting quarterback Jordan Love, and the Seattle Seahawks. Multiple mock drafts project teams trading up for the chance to draft JSN, with Mike Renner projecting the Seahawks will trade up six spots to land Ohio State’s single-season receiving record-holder and Eric Edholm picking the L.A. Chargers to move up five spots.
While a larger percentage of mock drafts had Smith-Njigba falling outside of the top 20 in earlier roundups, only six of the 37 mocks in this roundup have JSN getting past the Seahawks and none of them have him getting out of Round 1.
OT Dawand Jones
No. 15, Green Bay Packers: 1 (Broback)
No. 16, New England Patriots: 1 (33rd Team)
No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1 (Dvorchak)
No. 28, Cincinnati Bengals: 4 (B/R, Fornelli, Palazzolo, Reid)
No. 31, Kansas City Chiefs: 4 (Edwards, Farrar, Parson, Valentino)
Round 2, No. 32, Pittsburgh Steelers: 1 (Baumgardner)
Round 2, No. 33, Houston Texans: 1 (Trapasso)
Round 2, No. 35, Indianapolis Colts: 2 (Hallam, Iyer)
Round 2, No. 36, Baltimore Ravens: 1 (Renner)
Round 2, No. 36, Los Angeles Rams: 1 (Popejoy)
Round 2, No. 38, Las Vegas Raiders: 1 (Tankathon)
Round 2, No. 41, Tennessee Titans: 1 (Miller)
Round 2, No. 51, Miami Dolphins: 1 (McShay)
Round 2, No. 56, Jacksonville Jaguars: 1 (Risdon)
Round 3, No. 90, Dallas Cowboys: 1 (Reuter)
Round 3, No. 91, Buffalo Bills: 1 (Draft Tek)
Ohio State’s chances of having four first-round draft picks for the fourth time ever appear to hinge on how high Jones gets drafted. Just under 30% (11 of 37) of the mock drafts in this roundup have Jones going in the first round. While three of those mock drafts have Jones going in the top 20, AFC Championship Game participants Cincinnati and Kansas City – who could both be looking for right tackles with their late first-round picks – are seen as the most likely teams to draft Jones in Round 1.
Eight other mock drafts have Jones going within the first 10 picks of the second round, with the two having the Colts using their second-round pick to bring Jones back to his hometown of Indianapolis.
Of the 20 mock drafts in this roundup that include at least two rounds, only three of them have Jones falling out of the second round. Two mocks have Jones falling to the late third round while Keith Sanchez excluded Jones from his two-round mock. That said, it would be a much bigger surprise if Jones falls to the third round than if he goes in the first round.
Where Dawand Jones goes is likely to determine whether Ohio State has three or four first-round draft picks.
C Luke Wypler
Round 2, No. 33, Houston Texans: 1 (Farrar)
Round 3, No. 64, Chicago Bears: 1 (Valentino)
Round 3, No. 65, Houston Texans: 2 (Reid, Renner)
Round 3, No. 70, Las Vegas Raiders: 1 (Tankathon)
Round 3, No. 77, Los Angeles Rams: 1 (Broback)
Round 3, No. 79, Indianapolis Colts: 1 (Risdon)
Round 3, No. 89, New York Giants: 1 (Miller)
Round 3, No. 94, Philadelphia Eagles: 1 (Hallam)
Round 3, No. 96, Arizona Cardinals: 3 (Baumgardner, Draft Tek, Popejoy)
Round 4, No. 104, Houston Texans: 1 (Reuter)
Round 4, No. 109, Las Vegas Raiders: 1 (Iyer)
While Doug Farrar’s most recent mock has the Texans drafting Wypler with the second pick of the second round, no other mocks have him going before the third round, which remains the sweet spot for the Ohio State center’s draft stock. Of the 16 mock drafts in this roundup that include at least three rounds, 11 of them have Wypler going in Round 3.
As with Smith-Njigba, the Texans are the most popular projected landing spot for Wypler, though projections for where they will draft him vary from the second to the fourth round. Three separate mock drafts have the Arizona Cardinals selecting him with the draft’s first compensatory pick, which would mean replacing fellow former Ohio State center Billy Price in the middle of Arizona’s offensive line.
DE Zach Harrison
Round 2, No. 55, Detroit Lions: 1 (Iyer)
Round 2, No. 61, Chicago Bears: 1 (Draft Tek)
Round 2, No. 63, Kansas City Chiefs: 1 (Hallam)
Round 3, No. 67, Denver Broncos: 1 (Reid)
Round 3, No. 71, New Orleans Saints: 1 (Trapasso)
Round 3, No. 72, Tennessee Titans: 1 (Broback)
Round 3, No. 74, Cleveland Browns: 1 (Renner)
Round 3, No. 75, Atlanta Falcons: 1 (Valentino)
Round 3, No. 76, New England Patriots: 1 (Baumgardner)
Round 3, No. 90, Dallas Cowboys: 1 (Tankathon)
Round 3, No. 94, Philadelphia Eagles: 1 (Reuter)
Round 3, No. 100, Las Vegas Raiders: 1 (Edwards)
Round 3, No. 101, San Francisco 49ers: 1 (Popejoy)
Round 3, No. 102, San Francisco 49ers: 1 (Miller)
Like Wypler, Harrison also landed in the third round of 11 of the 16 mock drafts in this roundup that include at least three rounds. No mock draft has Harrison coming off the board before the final nine picks of Round 2, but only two of the mock drafts that include at least three rounds have Harrison falling into Day 3.
Harrison’s projections span a wide variety of teams, with only one team showing up twice in his roundup: The San Francisco 49ers, who hold three of the final four picks of the third round and could potentially target Harrison with one of those selections to pair with fellow former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa on their front line.
S Ronnie Hickman
Round 3, No. 99, San Francisco 49ers: Trapasso
Round 4, No. 115, New Orleans Saints: Reuter
Round 5, No. 164, San Francisco 49ers: Iyer
Round 6, No. 212, Dallas Cowboys: Draft Tek
Round 6, No. 214, Las Vegas Raiders: Hallam
Round 7, No. 240, New York Giants: Reid
Hickman is fully expected to be selected at some point in the draft, as he shows up in every mock draft in this roundup that includes at least four rounds. There’s no consensus on what round he’ll be drafted in, though, as his landing spots in this mock draft roundup include projections in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
Like Harrison, the only team Hickman is paired with twice is the 49ers, who have a need at safety after Jimmie Ward’s free-agency departure to the Houston Texans.
S Tanner McCalister
Round 7, No. 228, Tennessee Titans: Iyer
The only other Buckeye to appear in any of the mock drafts in this roundup is McCalister, who did not appear in either of our previous two mock draft roundups but improved his chances of being selected with a strong showing at Ohio State’s pro day. Vinnie Iyer has McCalister joining Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans, where he could provide depth at slot cornerback and safety.
Former Ohio State cornerback Cameron Brown, defensive tackle Taron Vincent and kicker Noah Ruggles were not included in any of the mock drafts in this roundup despite making appearances in seven-round mocks in previous roundups. Other Ohio State draft hopefuls who have not appeared in any mock drafts we’ve seen include defensive tackle Jerron Cage, linebacker Palaie Gaoteote, fullback/tight end Mitch Rossi and long snapper Bradley Robinson.
