Eight Ohio State Prospects Who Boosted Their Draft Stock at Pro Day

With more than 140 NFL representatives in attendance at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Ohio State’s draft prospects had the opportunity to work out for six NFL head coaches, five general managers and scouts from all 32 teams. No strangers to performing at their best on the biggest stages, Ohio State’s draft prospects seized the opportunity to build off the momentum they gained during the Buckeyes’ national championship run by going through a variety of drills in front of NFL scouts.

Some of Ohio State’s draft prospects did more than others on Wednesday. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson didn’t need to do much at pro day after they excelled at the combine. Seth McLaughlin was unable to work out as he continues to recover from the torn Achilles he suffered last season, while Josh Simmons was a limited participant as he continues to recover from the torn patellar tendon that ended his final season at Ohio State. Jack Sawyer only did position drills due to a minor hamstring injury, while Tyleik Williams was unable to complete his pro day workout after cramping up during the 40-yard dash.

The following eight Buckeyes, though, all had excellent showings during their workouts on Wednesday and should come out of pro day with their draft stock improved as a result.

QB Will Howard

The throwing session always draws the largest spotlight when a school has a notable quarterback prospect at its pro day, and there was plenty of attention on Howard’s pro day after he had an underwhelming throwing performance at the combine. Needing a strong performance on Wednesday to prove his missed throws at the combine weren’t indicative of who he is as a quarterback, Howard delivered in a big way.

Howard completed 65 of his 67 throws at Wednesday’s pro days, and both of his throws that fell incomplete went off their intended receivers’ hands. He demonstrated his ability to throw the ball accurately to all levels on the field, highlighted by several deep-ball connections with fellow draft prospect Emeka Egbuka and returning Ohio State receivers Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss.

Will Howard Brandon Inniss. pic.twitter.com/3ZZKxWMXyG

— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) March 26, 2025

Put some respect on Will Howards name! Crushed his Pro Day today. 65/67 with two drops. Will checked all of the boxes today for the doubters

National Champion. Best QB in the country. 50 career starts. Future franchise QB. pic.twitter.com/qxoWlEJcUe

— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) March 26, 2025

Knowing he had put forth the passing display to make his case for being one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Howard had a big smile on his face once the workout was complete.

“I think I was able to put everything on display here,” Howard said. “I'm happy about how it went, and hopefully everyone else agrees.”

OT Josh Simmons

As aforementioned, Simmons wasn’t able to do a lot of on-field work Wednesday because of the season-ending knee injury he suffered in October. But the fact that he was able to do anything at all just five months removed from tearing his patellar tendon was a big win for his draft stock.

Simmons spent a couple of minutes going through movement drills in front of NFL scouts before Donovan Jackson and Josh Fryar took the field for a full offensive line workout. While Simmons’ workout was abbreviated, his movement didn’t appear to be hindered during his drill work, which should be greatly reassuring to teams considering drafting him with a first-round pick.

Josh Simmons, five months removed from tearing his patellar tendon, did a brief workout at Ohio States pro day. pic.twitter.com/I5I4W6vbU6

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 26, 2025

On top of that, Simmons also put forth an excellent performance in the bench press, lifting the 225-pound bar 34 times – a number that would have been the best among all players at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Physically, there might not be a more gifted offensive tackle in this year’s NFL draft class than Simmons. By showing he’s also well on his way back to health after his season-ending injury, Simmons likely cemented his status as a first-round pick on Wednesday.

CB Jordan Hancock

From a measurable testing perspective, Hancock had the most eye-popping workout of any Buckeye on Wednesday. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash among all Ohio State pro day participants at 4.42 seconds while he also led all participants in the vertical jump (41.5 inches) and broad jump (10-foot-6).

While some may have doubted Hancock’s speed entering pro day because he played in the slot at Ohio State, he proved himself to be one of the most athletic defensive backs in the 2025 NFL draft by not only running a superb 40 time but also posting a vertical jump that would have tied for the second-best mark among all participants at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

“People had questions on my speed because of the position I played, but I just kind of scratched that off. And jumped well, so I felt good,” Hancock said.

Hancock also looked fluid while going through a full set of defensive back drills, helping showcase his versatility which he believes enables him to play any position in an NFL secondary.

DT Ty Hamilton

Simmons wasn’t the only Buckeye who benched more reps of 225 pounds on Wednesday than any player did at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. Hamilton one-upped Simmons by raising the bar 35 times, and he did so as one of just three players at Wednesday’s pro day who participated in every single drill.

Having already helped himself in Indianapolis with a smooth set of defensive line drills at the combine, Hamilton put up strong testing numbers across the board at pro day as he ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash, leaped 32 inches in the vertical jump and 9-foot-3 in the broad jump and ran a 4.68-second 20-yard shuttle, all numbers that are more than adequate for a 299-pound defensive tackle.

“I feel like I did great,” Hamilton said. “I came here to do everything I wanted to do and I feel like just going out there and having fun and just doing what I've been doing all my life.”

There’s been plenty of chatter dating back to his Ohio State career that Hamilton could get drafted earlier than people think, and Wednesday’s workout was one more reason to believe he has a very real chance of coming off the board in the middle rounds.

LB Cody Simon

Simon answered questions about his athleticism on Wednesday by showing plenty of speed and agility in his pro day workout.

The 2024 “Block O” wearer checked all the boxes on Wednesday as the 232-pound linebacker ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash with a 4.3-second 20-yard shuttle and a 7.19-second 3-cone drill while also leaping 33.5 inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet in the broad jump and putting up 21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Simon also performed well in linebacker drills, changing directions fluidly while catching the ball cleanly.

Having already bolstered his draft stock in a big way with his excellent play during his 112-tackle final season as a Buckeye, Simon did exactly what he had to do at pro day to solidify himself as a Day 3 pick at worst.

WR Emeka Egbuka

Egbuka put any questions about his speed to rest on Wednesday as he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, a time plenty fast enough to strengthen his standing as a likely first-round draft pick. The shifty receiver also proved just how quickly he can change directions by posting a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.12 seconds, which would have tied for the third-fastest time among wide receivers at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Egbuka also had a strong showing running routes and catching passes from Howard during the quarterback’s throwing session, capping his day off with a deep-ball catch that prompted him to celebrate like he had just scored a touchdown in Ohio Stadium.

Emeka Egbuka celebrating his deep-ball touchdown catch at Ohio State’s pro day.

TE Gee Scott Jr.

As one of only two prospects at Ohio State’s pro day who wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, along with offensive lineman Josh Fryar, Scott needed a strong showing on Wednesday to improve his chances of being drafted. He delivered.

Scott posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.60 seconds that would have been the fastest among all tight ends at the combine while also posting strong marks of 9-foot-11 in the broad jump and 35 inches in the vertical jump. He also had a great showing in the bench press, putting up 25 reps of 225 pounds, while putting up solid numbers of 4.40 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.28 seconds in the 3-cone drill.

Pairing all of those numbers with a smooth pass-catching session on Wednesday, Scott just might have done enough to give himself a chance to be a late-round draft pick, or at least get picked up quickly in free agency if he goes undrafted.

“I came out here and gave everything that I absolutely had, and then I just let the Lord take care of the rest,” Scott said.

OT Josh Fryar

Like Scott, Fryar also took advantage of his lone opportunity to work out in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams at pro day, boosting his chances of sneaking into the late rounds of the draft.

While his quickness as a pass blocker was viewed as his biggest weakness during his Ohio State career, Fryar showed plenty of athleticism on Wednesday, running a 5.09-second 40-yard dash at 318 pounds while posting a 34-inch vertical jump, which would have ranked fourth among all offensive linemen at the combine. Possessing prototypical size for an offensive tackle at nearly 6-foot-5 with nearly 35-inch arms, Fryar posted the numbers he needed across the board to make the case that he can play tackle in the NFL.

“I thought my performance went well,” Fryar said. “The vert, the 40, I thought everything was to my standards that I was running.”