All of Ohio State’s top three prospects in the 2023 NFL draft will be in Kansas City to take the stage when their names are called.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. are all on the list of prospects who will be in Kansas City on April 27, when all three of them are expected to be selected during the first round of this year’s NFL draft.
From Path to the Draft: Here are the prospects invited to attend the NFL Draft in Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/gpOKp3zrQS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2023
It’s the second year in a row that Ohio State will have multiple players in attendance for the draft as invited top prospects. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave both attended the draft last year – with Stroud and Smith-Njigba in attendance to cheer them on – when they were selected back-to-back with the 10th and 11th overall picks by the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.
It’s the first time since 2016, when Eli Apple, Joey Bosa, Taylor Decker, Ezekiel Elliott and Darron Lee were all in attendance to hear their names called in the first round of the draft in Chicago, that Ohio State will have more than two players in attendance at the draft.
Ohio State is one of just two schools, along with Alabama, that will have three players in attendance at the draft. No other school will have more than one player in attendance.
Their invitations to Kansas City are yet another indicator that Stroud, Smith-Njigba and Johnson shouldn’t have to wait long before they come off the board in two weeks’ time. Assuming all of them are first-round picks, it will mark the fourth time since 2016 that Ohio State has had at least three first-rounders.
Offensive tackle Dawand Jones is also a potential candidate to join them in the first round, while defensive end Zach Harrison and center Luke Wypler are widely projected to be drafted on Day 2. Safety Ronnie Hickman is expected to be selected on the second or third day of the draft while safety Tanner McCalister, cornerback Cameron Brown and defensive tackle Taron Vincent are among the Buckeyes hoping to be chosen in the late rounds.
The 2023 NFL draft will be held in downtown Kansas City, adjacent to Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial, from April 27-29. Round 1 begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 27; Round 2-3 will be held on Friday, April 28, beginning at 7 p.m.; and Rounds 4-7 will be held Saturday, April 29, starting at noon. All seven rounds of the draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes.
