Chris Wilds
With the NFL draft coming up in a few, short weeks, many Buckeye fans want to know where our beloved Buckeyes will land. This was thought to be a year where the Buckeyes would dominate the draft, however, to our surprise, many returned to take care of “unfinished business.” Yet, we will still have our fair share of player to track come April 25, 2024.
The first Buckeye off the board will undoubtedly be the magnificent Marvin Harrison Jr. Despite not participating in drills at neither the combine, nor the Buckeyes pro day, Harrison is still believed by most to be a top five pick. There was an initial he could have gone number one overall had the Bears looked to build around another former Buckeye in Justin Fields, however the Bears chose to send Fields to Pittsburgh meaning a quarterback, likely Caleb Williams, will be the first player off the board. The next two teams, the Commanders and the Patriots, likewise will likely be looking quarterback meaning Harrison will likely fall to Arizona at number four barring a trade. Arizona needs a weapon for Kyler Murray, and Harrison fits the bill. Therefore, I have Marvin Harrison Jr. going in the first round, at pick #4 to the Arizona Cardinals.
I have the next guy off the board being Michael Hall Jr. While his sample size was limited at Ohio State, he has a lot of upsides, and was very explosive when he was on the field. If we are completely honest, Hall is likely one of the 5-8 best defensive linemen in this draft. He has had some injury concerns, and his size could be an issue. He is too big to be an end, but also somewhat undersized as a tackle. He has a good skill set, and I think we may see a team reach a little on Hall because of the “low miles” and the upside. The team that makes the most sense to me is the Houston Texans. They lost some production from the interior line, they are young, hungry, and have a defensive minded head coach. They also have had some decent luck with Ohio State guys recently. I think they reach a bit and grab him at the end of round two with the 59th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
I like Cade Stover to stay in Ohio. There is one team in Ohio that needs a lot of help at tight end – and it is not the Buckeyes. They would love to get Brock Bowers out of Georgia, but Bowers will be gone by the time the Bengals draft in the first round. If you don’t get Bowers, you don’t go tight end in the first two rounds. However, I see Cade Stover still sitting there in round three, and I think the Bengals grab him with pick #80. He will give Burrow a viable young target who can block at the tight end position.
Next comes a favorite among Buckeye fans – Tommy “Two-Thumbs” aka Tommy Eichenberg. Tommy is an old school linebacker. A tackling machine who was dominant in the middle of the Buckeyes defense. However, being an old school linebacker doesn’t always translate well into today’s NFL. While there is no doubt, he is a beast when it comes to stopping the run, his lack of athleticism and lateral agility is going to hamper his draft stock. As good as he is, I have him sliding to the fifth round. Now the bad news for Tommy is he is going to be a fifth-round pick, the good news for Tommy, he isn’t going to be lonely as he will be spending his rookie season with Marvin Harrison Jr. I have Tommy going to Arizona in the fifth round at #162.
I have Josh Proctor as the next Buckeye off the board. He has had his ups and downs during his Buckeye career, but he flashed the ability to be an impact player numerous times during his time in Columbus. While I see him as a later day three pick, I believe a familiar face may be willing to take a shot on Proctor, that being former Buckeye defensive coordinator, and Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. Hafley is now the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Hafley coached Proctor in 2019 at Ohio State and knows what he can do. I like the Packers to take a chance on Josh and grab him at the end of the sixth round with pick #219.
Steele Chambers was a player who made a tremendous impact at Ohio State. He initially was a running back, but after struggling to get playing time he moved to defense, and quickly became an impact player at linebacker. Steele has the athleticism that Eichenberg lacks and can be a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who can play in coverage. However, he doesn’t have the upper body strength typically required of an NFL linebacker. Steele’s athleticism, coverage ability, and upside make him a good candidate to make an NFL roster as a late round pick. As a project, I like Steele Chambers going to the Steelers. Pittsburgh loves Ohio State defenders. I think he can be coached up and developed into a solid backup with spot starter potential under Mike Tomlin, Teryl Austin, and Aaron Curry. He isn’t Ryan Shazier coming in, but Steele has a lot of upsides and is a coachable team guy.
Though it is unlikely our last two draft participants, OG Matthew Jones and RB Miyan Williams, get drafted, I feel like I want to give one of them the benefit of the doubt and say they go in the seventh round. That one is Matthew Jones. I believe he stays in Ohio and with their final pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns select him #243. The Browns need help on the interior offensive line. Matthew Jones has played both guard and center. There would also be some continuity along the line as former Buckeye teammates Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler (also later round steals by the Browns) are part of the offensive line room in Cleveland. That is why I believe that even though several so-called experts predict Jones to go undrafted, I think he goes late.
Sadly, the same fate that cannot be projected for Miyan Williams. I believe he will be invited to camp, but much like other running backs, it will be as an undrafted free agent. Between health concerns, being undersized, and the fact he seemed to fall out of favor with Ryan Day and the Buckeye offensive staff last season, Miyan’s draft stock plummeted. I feel like he will get a shot with a team that either has a special teams opportunity for him such as, LA teams or possibly the Colts who have a lot of questions on the special teams, or with a team that has a shallow depth at running back like the Dallas Cowboys or the LA Chargers. I feel he probably is an undrafted free agent invited to either the Chargers or Colts. Either way, Williams will have a long road to making an NFL opening day roster.
