COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State has remained one of the nation’s top football programs under coach Ryan Day.
However, what happens during the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft could put the Buckeyes in a group only two other schools have joined.
If the mock drafts hold up, Ohio State would be the first school in 59 years to have four players selected in the top 10.
Michigan State was the most recent to do it in 1967, with Notre Dame the first in 1946. There have been 12 instances of three players from one school going in the top 10, with the most recent being Alabama in 2021.
“That to me speaks a lot about the development here. For them to be ready where they are right now after three years says a lot about what we do,” Day said last month after the school’s pro day. “This is a big part of what we sell. These guys understand that and are held to a high standard.”
Edge rusher/linebacker Arvell Reese could be the first defensive player off the board. Safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Carnell Tate, and linebacker Sonny Styles are also expected to be called quickly in the green room in Pittsburgh and greeted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
All four were part of the Buckeyes’ 2024 College Football Playoff championship team. Last year’s team was ranked first for most of the regular season, but lost to eventual champion Indiana in the Big Ten title game and Miami in a CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl.
Day is also expected to be in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
“Coach (Ryan) Day’s done a great job recruiting up there. I mean, not just with those four individuals, but they have some younger players that are coming down the pipeline that are pretty impressive,” Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. “You can see why they’ve had so much success, but they’ve done a great job of recruiting and developing.”
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who has experienced the draft from both the college and NFL sides as the defensive coordinator in New England and the head coach in Detroit, stressed the football IQ of Downs, Reese and Styles, as well as their physical ability.
Reese and Downs were AP All-America first-team selections while Styles and Tate were on the second team.
“Certainly with Caleb, you’re getting the complete player. He can adjust and see the game just as fast as a coach. And that’s very rare for a young player,” Patricia said.
“Sonny, certainly the physical attributes for a linebacker and to be able to play into space, those are rare attributes that you don’t find that often. And then certainly with Arvell, the explosive power and raw that he showed this year, but also the multiplicity that he showed this year, and a lot of those calls he made on the field. I think you see there that football IQ is at a high level.”
While wide receivers and edge rushers are often selected high in the first round, Downs and Styles are top-10 prospects at safety and linebacker, two positions that tend to be a lower priority at the top of the draft.
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said that it can be the wrong move, since those positions carry greater importance because of how they affect the game and how offenses play.
Riddick noted that Styles showed freakish athletic ability at the scouting combine, with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and a 43 1/2-inch vertical jump. That was the best vertical for a player at least 6-foot-4 since 2003.
“When you have a guy like Styles, you throw that (stuff) out the window because of his athletic ability,” Riddick said. “It’s hard to pass on this kind of guy because nothing’s worse than come September, October when a team’s got a bona fide (butt) kicker tight end, and he’s just ripping your heart out in the middle of the field, and you have nobody that can match up with him because you were like ‘You know what? We can’t draft that linebacker there.’ And then you see another team that does have him, and he’s sitting there making plays all over the place and becomes a good blitzer and the face of your franchise because he’s just so good off the field, and you’re kicking yourself.”
Downs was projected as a top-10 pick going into last season, but Reese and Styles’ stock rose significantly during Patricia’s first year as defensive coordinator. The Buckeyes had the nation’s top-ranked defense in several categories.
Patricia unleashed Reese’s versatility as an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker, similar to what he did with Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins in New England.
“He used these guys in these hybrid roles, which makes it really difficult for the O-line and the offense to protect and identify these guys,” Berry said of Reese.
With teams keying on wide receiver Jeremiah Smith last season, Tate emerged as a deep threat with nine touchdowns. He also had 14 receptions of more than 20 yards and excelled on intermediate routes.
The Buckeyes, though, could have five first-round picks. Kayden McDonald was an AP first-team All-America pick and a premier run stopper in his first year as a starter.
Patricia stressed, though, that the draft is only the first step.
“However the draft goes, it goes. That’s something from my NFL side, you just learned. The most important thing is what you do when you get there. That’s really what we’re pushing for right now: when they get there, we need them to stay there, be really productive, and be great players for a long time. That’s the most important thing.”
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