Skull Session: A Couple of Former Buckeyes Went After Desmond Howard, Garrett Wilson Has Been Sensational This Season and Ohio State Has First-Round Talent in the 2023 NFL Draft

By Chase Brown on December 7, 2022 at 5:00 am
Garrett Wilson
Vincent Carchietta / USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Justin Fields is him.

 GRAB YOUR POPCORN. Folks, I've written this line a handful of times over the last 30 days, and I will write it another time to start the Skully: Desmond Howard is at it again.

Well, kind of.

On Monday, the former Michigan player tweeted the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy – The Ohio State University quarterback C.J. Stroud being one of them – and asked people on the Twitterverse what they thought of the selections.

Jones did not respond to Howard's quote tweet. However, he did retweet his initial comment toward Howard later on Tuesday, sending the tweet to the top of his profile as if it were pinned.

The winner of the Heisman Trophy ceremony will be announced Saturday, with the ceremony taking place at 8 p.m. in New York City. The event will be broadcast on ESPN.

I recommend having the popcorn ready for Howard to step on stage. Because with Howard, you never know what he might say, especially when the topic includes the Ohio State Buckeyes.

 MAMA, THERE GOES THAT MAN. I briefly mentioned Garrett Wilson in the previous blurb, which reminded me that I wanted to talk about the former Buckeye in the Skull Session sometime this week. After seeing some ridiculous stats that Pro Football Focus tweeted out on Tuesday, there was no better time than the present.

Wilson has been one of the best offensive rookies – if not one of the best rookies overall – in the NFL this season, proven by several statistics in which the 6-foot, 192-pound receiver paces all first-year players in the league.

PFF is correct that the Jets have a stud in Wilson. However, the word “stud” may not fully reflect Wilson's talent as he continues to shred opposing defenses in his first NFL season. In the last two weeks, questions about how great the New York rookie can be have become more prominent after he went absolutely nuclear against the Bears and Vikings.

Comp: Dak Prescott

Stroud puts up big numbers in the wide-open Ohio State passing game (3,340 passing yards, 37 TD throws and six interceptions). At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Stroud has really good touch accuracy to all levels of the field. He's also an above-average runner and mover in the pocket when given room to operate. The hardest thing about evaluating Stroud is extrapolating his talent from the Buckeyes' scheme and figuring out what he can do without that system around him.

Honestly, I have never really thought about comparing Stroud to Prescott, and I feel like I need more time to break down the tape of both players. Still, from what I've seen of the Dallas Cowboys quarterback since he recovered from a broken leg suffered in 2020, he's been a less willing runner than he was before the injury, so if we take that aspect of his game and also compare Stroud and Prescott’s arm talent, we may have a pretty good comp here, after all.

Paris Johnson Jr.

Comp: Terron Armstead

Johnson was arguably Ohio State's best lineman during the 2021 season while playing out of position at right guard. He moved to his natural position of left tackle for 2022 and has allowed just one sack all season. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound junior has solid quickness and balance while also playing with poise and power. He's still ironing out his technique, but Johnson's ceiling is the best of any 2023 offensive lineman.

I'm not too knowledgeable on NFL offensive line play, but I have heard of Armstead and can confidently say he has been one of the league's best tackles for almost a decade. That makes Johnson's comp to him very revealing of how NFL teams currently view the 6-foot-6, 311-pounder from Ohio State and makes me think GMs will be delighted if they can select Johnson in the 2023 draft.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Comp: CeeDee Lamb

Smith-Njigba finished the 2021 season with a record-setting Rose Bowl appearance (347 receiving yards, three TDs) but has been hampered by a hamstring injury in 2022, limiting him to just five catches and 43 yards. It makes for a fascinating evaluation, but the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Smith-Njigba can still find himself in the top 15 picks. He shows excellent concentration and body control, and he can still get open even when the defense is keyed to stop him.

At first, this comp felt like a head-scratcher, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the pick. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Smith-Njigba has a very similar build to Lamb, who stands at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds as a slot receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.

Neither would be considered burners that use their speed to overcome opponents, but instead, both choose to utilize crisp route-running and sure hands to make plays. If this comp plays out in the league, whoever drafts JSN is getting a playmaker, and I hope they find a way to let him make plays.

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. The Ohio State women's volleyball team has made it to the Sweet 16 again. After reaching this point in the NCAA Tournament seven times in program history and losing each time, perhaps this will be the year they finally shake the boogeyman and advance to the Elite Eight.

To do that, No. 3-seeded Ohio State will need to defeat No. 2-seeded Minnesota in Austin, Texas, on Thursday at noon. The Buckeyes and Gophers split their regular-season matches, with OSU winning the first bout, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22, to claim a three-set sweep in Minneapolis on Oct. 12 before losing in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 24-26, in Columbus on Nov. 25.

With stars like AVCA Regional Player of the Year Emily Londot, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Kylie Murr and Big Ten Setter of the Year Mac Podraza playing at an extremely high level for the squad, the Buckeyes look poised to break the Sweet 16 curse.

The Buckeyes also have players like Gabby Gonzales, Rylee Rader and Mia Grunze, among others, ready to make consistent contributions as they look to take down the Gophers for the second time this year.

Thursday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at noon – a perfect time to take a lunch break to watch the Volleybucks. Hat tips to them for a great season so far, but it's not over yet.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Don't Let Me Down” by The Beatles.

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