Welcome to the Skull Session.
Patrick Gurd, Jeremiah Smith and Jack Sawyer are Ohio State's DUDES of the Week.
Dudes of the Week
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 23, 2024
@gurd45
@Jermiah_Smith1
@jacksawyer33 pic.twitter.com/p47yEiqXZ8
Have a good Monday.
#FREE91. Could Ohio State’s 2025 NFL draft class have the most draft picks ever? According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, it’s possible.
Last week, Brugler predicted that at least 15 Buckeyes will come off the board next April, headlined by Tyleik Williams, JT Tuimoloau, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Here’s what Brugler shared about those four Ohio State players and the Buckeyes’ other top-100 prospects:
Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams
Williams was my favorite player of this group to study — don’t be surprised if he is the first Buckeye selected next April. He plays with outstanding run awareness and the point-of-attack strength to stack, detach and make stops at the line of scrimmage. With prospects like Williams, Michigan’s Mason Graham and a few others, defensive tackle should be well represented early in next year’s draft.
A force up front
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 12, 2024
@tyleikk | @PFF_College pic.twitter.com/Kiiw8cTjLY
Defensive end JT Tuimoloau
I don’t think anyone would use the word “dominant” to describe Tuimoloau’s 2023 tape. But his motor, savvy and big-man athleticism consistently show up on film, and he gives blockers all they can handle while rushing the quarterback or stopping the run. Considered a borderline first-rounder by NFL scouts had he entered the 2024 NFL Draft, Tuimoloau has work to do this season to cement a top-32 spot.
Running back Quinshon Judkins
An Ole Miss transfer, Judkins announced himself as a future NFL back with a combined 2,725 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns the past two seasons in the SEC. For a bigger back, he runs with nimble feet and quick reads to gash the defense with his physical run style… Judkins has the talent to be a top-60 pick and an NFL starter.
New Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins over the past two seasons:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 9, 2024
90.8 PFF Grade
2,726 Rush Yards
31 Touchdowns
1,800 Yards AFTER Contact
154 Missed Tackles Forced pic.twitter.com/iFbEDSC11e
Running back TreVeyon Henderson
Given the nature of the running back position, Henderson was the most surprising returnee among Ohio State’s underclassmen last year. He is built low to the ground to grind through contact and also shows wiggle in his lower body to shake defenders in space. With his receiving skills and take-it-the-distance talent, Henderson will enter the season as the top senior prospect at his position.
Cornerback Denzel Burke
After a standout freshman season in 2021, Burke had an up-and-down sophomore campaign. But he bounced back well last season as a junior and surprised many when he bypassed a potential top-100 draft spot to return to Columbus. He needs to be more consistent as a tackler and when making early contact once his back is to the quarterback, but with a strong final season, Burke can be the first senior defensive back drafted in April.
BIA @DenzelBurke10 https://t.co/mmMiSV7uPO
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 20, 2024
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka
Although he’s not a no-doubt first-rounder like recent Ohio State receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Egbuka has the skill set of an NFL starter. Working mostly out of the slot for the Buckeyes, he is tough to cover and has quarterback-friendly ball skills. His 2023 season was interrupted by a midseason ankle procedure, but a healthy Egbuka will enter this year as the No. 1 senior wide receiver prospect in my rankings.
Defensive end Jack Sawyer
Sawyer isn’t the most deceptive pass rusher, but he is always in chase mode with the balanced athleticism to slip blockers and heavy hands to create movement. He led the Buckeyes last season in sacks (6.5) and forced fumbles (two) and projects as a long-time quality NFL starter.
Highest graded returning Edge rusher in the B1G, our very own, @jacksawyer33 pic.twitter.com/ulJYCBYC7O
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 8, 2024
Cornerback Davison Igbinosun
After spending his freshman season at Ole Miss, Igbinosun transferred to Ohio State last year and earned a starting role. With Burke on the other side, offenses weren’t shy throwing at Igbinosun — which led to plenty of volatility on his 2023 tape. He needs to play with better control in coverage, but his length and athleticism will give him a shot to be drafted on Day 2.
Beyond those eight Buckeyes, Brugler sees offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, cornerback Jordan Hancock, quarterback Will Howard, safety Lathan Ransom, linebacker Sonny Styles, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton and linebacker Cody Simon as seven Ohio State players with Day 3 grades. Brugler expects all of those Buckeyes to be drafted and added that each of them – especially Jackson, Hancock, Ransom and Styles – could improve their stock with a more consistent and complete season in 2024.
Then, there’s a collection of prospects Brugler called priority-free-agent-level prospects: Offensive linemen Seth McLaughlin, Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar, defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry and linebacker C.J. Hicks.
The last time I took a math class was freshman year at Ohio State – shout out to Math 1148 in the 209 W. 18th Avenue lecture hall – so I’m no expert when it comes to addition and inequalities. Still, I can count that Brugler would have 15 Buckeyes drafted if the event took place this afternoon. That would tie Georgia’s 15 draftees in 2022 for the most ever.
15 = 15
If McLaughlin, Simmons, Fryar, Jackson, Curry or Hicks were to also come off the board, Ohio State’s 2025 draft class would take sole possession of first place.
16 > 15
That math maths.
“HE’S EVERYTHING PEOPLE SAID.” Former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the professional ranks with massive expectations. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Harrison has spent his first months with the Arizona Cardinals meeting (and exceeding) them.
When the Arizona Cardinals began their positional drills during the early minutes of their only minicamp practice last week, there was a new yet familiar face at the front of the wide receiver line.
In just a few weeks, rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. has made his way from the back to leading the group, a role decided by the players and typically reserved for veterans or stars. It's an acknowledgement of how his teammates view him and a sign of what his standing is with the team that drafted him No. 4 overall in April.
His ascension to the front was a quick one — especially for a rookie — but Harrison deferred to the veteran receivers throughout the offseason, wanting to give them the proper respect and space he felt they deserved.
"I didn't want to come in here with a big head," Harrison said. "I knew I had to earn everything, so just simple things like that. Let them go in front as they rightfully deserve. And then they kinda allow me to go in front now because they understand what I can bring to the team."
It didn't take long for everyone on the field to notice what Harrison was capable of. He was brought along slowly during the first week of OTAs and then fully immersed by the second week. By then, it was obvious. Harrison's integration into the Cardinals has been less than two months in the making, but he's already what his teammates thought he'd be.
Second-year cornerback Garrett Williams used one word to describe Harrison: "Special."
"You look at his height and then you look at his movement ability, those two things usually don't match up like that," Williams said. "So, for him to do it and make everything look so easily, the ball tracking ability, he's everything people said he is."
I cannot confirm who the people whom Williams referred to are. However, I will choose to believe Williams reads the Skull Session at elevenwarriors.com and considers me one of them. If that were true – I’m 99.9% sure it’s not – Williams would have read one of the 100 Skull Sessions I’ve written over the past two years that called Harrison one of the greatest wide receivers and players to ever wear an Ohio State uniform.
That’s not an overstatement. That’s a fact. You know that.
In three seasons at Ohio State, Harrison collected 155 receptions for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was a two-time unanimous All-American and Big Ten Receiver of the Year and a one-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Biletnikoff Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist.
Now a member of the Arizona Cardinals, his teammate and quarterback, Kyler Murray, believes the 6-foot-4, 209-pound pass-catcher can make an instant impact for the team's offense.
"I think he takes us to another level," Murray told reporters last week. "When you got a guy out there that is capable of winning one-on-ones, obviously he's got to go do it and he knows that. We all know it, but as far as manipulating coverage and stuff like that, you got a guy out there that can do that and even if he's not open, he's open. ... I'm excited to be able to build that (chemistry) with him, but when he does what he does, yeah, I fully expect our offense to be top of the league."
With Harrison as the team's WR1 – yeah, I expect that, too.
START YOUR ENGINES. Last week, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and American Honda Motor Co. announced that former Ohio State and current Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Dawand Jones will be the honorary grand marshal for The Honda Indy 200 on July 7. In the role, Jones will announce the start of the race and participate in other pre-race ceremonies at Mid-Ohio.
Im excited to be the Grand Marshal of such a wonderful race I look forward to seeing all my Buckeye and Browns fans cheer the cars through 80 laps of fun https://t.co/IxFY01zkWZ
— Dawand Jones (@dawandj79) June 21, 2024
“As a longtime IndyCar fan from Indianapolis, I am really excited to be a part of this awesome racing tradition in Ohio,” Jones said in a Mid-Ohio press release. “I am truly grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to give the command and hear the roar of the engines!”
Across four years at Ohio State, Jones appeared in 36 games and made 24 starts for the Buckeyes, conceding 12 quarterback hurries and three sacks in over 1,500 snaps. He was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten honoree and a one-time All-American.
The Cleveland Browns selected Jones with the No. 111 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and following a season-ending injury for All-Pro tackle Jack Conklin, he appeared in 11 games and made nine starts before having season-ending surgery on his left knee. The Pro Football Writers of America named the 6-foot-8, 375-pound lineman to its All-Rookie Team after the year ended.
While all those accomplishments are excellent, Jones could earn the most notable accomplishment of all on July 7: Surpassing actor Kevin James for the best pre-race command of all time.
We'll see if Jones has what it takes.
TEACH THESE YOUNG BLOODS A LESSON. Ohio State men's basketball hosted "Vet Week" on Tuesday and Wednesday, welcoming alumni like D'Angelo Russell back to campus. Over the weekend, some videos of Russell cooking current (and sometimes former) Buckeyes in a scrimmage surfaced on Instagram:
Like Uncle Drew long ago, Russell taught those young bloods a lesson.
He's officially reached Unc status.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Upside Down” - Jack Johnson.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Connor McDavid and the Oilers can make history in Stanley Cup Final Game 7 against the Panthers... The late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek will be honored with a U.S. postage stamp... Shiny monolith removed from mountains outside Las Vegas. How it got there is still a mystery... Squirrels’ tails tied together? A trapped bald eagle? Ohio wildlife officers see it all.
