Skull Session: Ohio State Picks the Perfect Captains, ESPN Predicts Four First-Round Buckeyes in 2024 NFL Draft and Michael Thomas is Back

By Chase Brown on August 21, 2023 at 5:00 am
Captains
Ohio State Dept. of Athletics
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

In preseason camp, The Brotherhood is formed.

Ohio State plays Indiana in 12 days.

Let's have a good Monday, shall we?

 O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN! Ohio State named veterans Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover and Xavier Johnson its three captains in 2023. The announcement was music to my ears. First and foremost, because those Buckeyes deserve the honor (more on that later), but also for another reason: For the past 10 years – one whole decade! – Ohio State had at least six captains every season... That was far too many.

I believed that. Many of you believed that. And as it turns out, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believed that, too.

"I don't like a ton of captains," Day said on the first episode of The Ryan Day Podcast, which will be released on Wednesday. "If there are six really good captains, then we will go with six. But ideally, we would like for around four."

In 2023, the team will have that ideal scenario, as Eichenberg, Stover and Johnson have established themselves as Ohio State's locker room leaders. And those three Buckeyes take immense pride in that. As Jason Priestas pointed out on Twitter – excuse me, X – over the weekend, Eichenberg never smiles like this:

And, of course, that pride was shown when Eichenberg, Stover and Johnson – who also was named Ohio State's Block O recipient – called their parents and shared the news that they were named captains.

Just too good.

Cheers to Eichenberg, Stover and Johnson. They were perfect candidates for captaincy, and their recognition was well-deserved. I cannot wait to see the kind of Ohio State team that follows their lead as the Buckeyes prepare for their 12 regular-season battles (and hopefully three postseason battles) in 2023.

 LOADED. LOADED. LOADED. At the start of the offseason, Ohio State's 2024 draft class was all the rave. With prospects like Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, JT Tuimoloau, Donovan Jackson, TreVeyon Henderson and several others who could turn pro after 2023, the rave made perfect sense.

One week before the 2023 college football season kicks off – Week 0 starts on Saturday, people! – ESPN's Jordan Reid ranked the top 10 teams with the most 2024 draft prospects. Ohio State was featured in Tier 1 with Michigan, Penn State and Georgia, which put the attention back on the Buckeyes' stacked class of draft-eligible players this year.

Here is what Reid wrote about Ohio State:

Top prospect to know: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR
Sleeper prospect to watch: Tyleik Williams, DT
Game circled on the schedule: at Notre Dame, Sept. 23

In 2006 and 2016, the Buckeyes set program records with five first-round selections. That number could soon be challenged. Harrison is widely viewed as one of the best receiver prospects of the past decade and could challenge Calvin Johnson (No. 2 overall, 2007) as the highest-drafted wideout in the past 20 years. "He's different," an AFC area scout said. "It's as simple as that to describe him. [Ja'Marr] Chase, Julio Jones, A.J. Green -- he's just as good as all of those guys coming out." Harrison's combination of body control at the catch point, making the hard catches look routine and smoothness getting in and out of his breaks already have him labeled as a potential top-five pick. He had 1,263 receiving yards and 14 touchdown catches in 2022.

Wideout Emeka Egbuka is the next wideout up after he finished last season with 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns. The junior is a crafty route runner who has spent time both in the slot (256 routes) and outside (108). Running back TreVeyon Henderson is another key part of the team's offense. He nursed a nagging foot injury throughout last season, so scouts want to see if he can return to his 2021 form now that he's fully healthy. Multiple evaluators have compared him to former Ohio State rusher J.K. Dobbins. Interior offensive lineman Donovan Jackson and tight end Cade Stover could also go early, having received mostly Day 2 grades from scouts.

JT Tuimoloau enters his junior season as my No. 3 edge rusher (behind Florida State's Jared Verse and Alabama's Dallas Turner) and one of the most well-rounded prospects at the position in this year's class. With only six sacks over the past two seasons, Tuimoloau must become more consistent with his tackling. Edge rusher Jack Sawyer, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and interior defenders Michael Hall Jr. and Williams could also be selected inside the top 100 picks.

Predicted first-rounders in 2024: 4
Predicted total draft picks in 2024: 13

Ohio State's 13 predicted total draft picks ranked second behind Michigan, who Reid predicted will have 17 draft picks in 2024. Those are insane numbers for both schools, as Georgia holds the record for the most players selected in one draft with 15 in 2022. Ohio State's 14 in 2004 ranks second, followed by LSU's 14 in 2020, Alabama's 12 in 2018 and Ohio State's 12 in 2016.

I am unsure if the Wolverines will have 17 players drafted in 2024, but I feel confident Ohio State will have at least 13 players taken next April. Perhaps even more.

The 10 players Reid mentioned – Harrison, Egbuka, Henderson, Jackson, Stover, Tuimoloau, Sawyer, Eichenberg, Hall and Williams – feel like locks if they all declare. Then you add in Lathan Ransom, Miyan Williams, Denzel Burke, Steele Chambers, Jordan Hancock, Julian Fleming, Matt Jones, Ty Hamilton and maybe a few others, and the Buckeyes could have the largest all-time draft class.

Feels like Ohio State is natty or bust if Day picks the correct quarterback, huh? I never imagined I would write that sentence.

 HE'S BACK (FOR REAL). Former Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas was named the 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year for a season in which he recorded 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 appearances for the New Orleans Saints.

*Cue that one ESPN 30-for-30 person's voice* What if I told you Thomas hasn't been the same player since?

In 2020, 2021 and 2022, Thomas made 10 combined appearances for the Saints as he dealt with ailments in his ankle, hamstring and toes. He collected only 56 receptions, 609 yards and three touchdowns in those contests.

Still, as he prepares for 2023, Thomas feels confident that he has plenty left in the tank and even more to prove. Thomas recently spoke with The Athletic's Mike Jones about his mindset before his eighth NFL season:

Reflecting on the journey that involved the recovery from the ankle injury and surgery that cost him most of the 2020 season and all of 2021, the hamstring injury that slowed him following summer and the toe injury and surgery that robbed him of all but three games in 2022, Thomas feels wiser and more resilient.

“You get knocked down, always get back up,” he said. “That’s a saying that’s always brought up and used. But I really take it to heart and get back up. You know, trust the process. Take it one day at a time. You have to really be honest with yourself.

“You go through a lot of emotional things, just because you would rather be out there just playing football, catching the ball from the quarterback, working with the team,” Thomas added. “But it’s a different situation. You’ve got to pause and appreciate the little things and take the small victories that build up to be the big.”

At last, Thomas appears poised to make his return in full force.

The Saints have brought him along gradually. The coaches and medical team managed his workload during offseason practices and have built rest days into the training camp schedule to help Thomas avoid setbacks. And he looks good.

As the article continues, Jones writes that Thomas has created consistent separation "either with his speed of his 6-foot-3, 212-pound frame" in the preseason. He's even split his matchup victories with his former Ohio State and current Saints teammate Marshon Lattimore, who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has been named a four-time Pro Bowler in the five seasons since.

Still, Thomas calls himself "a work in progress." He refuses to declare himself 100% healthy because, in his mind, 100% means perfection. For Thomas, it's all about patience, a constant growth mindset and a belief that he can never, ever be satisfied.

“I feel grateful, first and foremost, to contribute, definitely,” Thomas said. “But I’m always striving for perfection, always trying to perfect my craft day-in and day-out and find the little things. So I’ll never arrive or be exactly where I want to be, but I feel good. I’m moving in the right direction.”

Even when healthy, Thomas views himself as a work in progress. He insists that his back-to-back All-Pro seasons and 2019 Offensive Player of the Year campaigns weren’t even the peak of his potential. He keeps working and looking for details to improve on and tricks of the trade to learn.

Michael Thomas is so back. Is that a stretch? Maybe. But I don't care – I'm all in.

The 2023 season will be the return of "Can't Guard Mike" as Thomas lines up opposite fellow former Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave to catch passes from four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr.

Book it, baby. Book it.

 "WE'RE WITH YOU SAMMY." ICYMI: Ohio State wrestler Sammy Sasso was shot in Columbus on Friday and is expected to recover completely. The shooting occurred near Ohio State's campus, and medics took Sasso to the Wexner Medical Center in serious condition. His surgery was successful, and he should be able to wrestle again.

For that last sentence, I am incredibly thankful.

As many readers know, my first professional journalism experience came as an Ohio State wrestling beat reporter for The Lantern. I later covered the team for Buckeye Sports Bulletin and have provided coverage, when possible, for Eleven Warriors. In my time around the team, I have met few people finer than Sammy Sasso.

He may be a savage on the mat, but he is as good as they come away from it – always compassionate, kind and respectful. Sasso's character led to a tremendous outpour of tweets that sent thoughts and prayers toward the Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native over the weekend. He even received a message from the Michigan wrestling program.

Hopefully, Sasso can recover in time for the start of the 2023-24 season. The Buckeyes have one of their best rosters in a long time with Jesse Mendez, Nic Bouzakis, Paddy Gallagher, Carson Kharchla and several others back for another season at Ohio State. Those wrestlers will need Sasso – a two-time Big Ten champion and two-time NCAA runner-up – to lead them from start to finish.

Get well soon, Sammy.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Separate Ways" by Journey.

 CUT TO THE CHASE. Connecticut kitten mystery solved, police say: Cat found in stolen, crashed car belongs to a suspect... A power outage in New Jersey was due to an unlikely culprit: a fish likely put there by a bird... Record-setting temperatures forecast in Dallas as scorching heat wave continues to bake the US... Sunflower field owners ask visitors to stop taking nude photos... Bear runs on a Tennessee football field before high school team starts practice.

PROGRAMMING NOTE:  I am off on Monday, so the Skull Session will be brought to you by another Eleven Warriors writer. Please be nice to them. See you on Wednesday!

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