Ohio State was once again well-represented at the NFL Draft in Kansas City, Missouri this past year. All told, six Buckeyes were selected in this year’s draft — starting with quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans.
Standout offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. was the second Buckeye called, going sixth overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first WR taken, going 20th to the Seattle Seahawks. In the third round, the Atlanta Falcons took defensive end Zach Harrison with the No. 75 selection. Johnson’s offensive line mate, Dawand Jones, was taken by the Cleveland Browns in round four at No. 111 overall.
The last Buckeyes player taken was center Luke Wypler, whom the Brown added in round six with the No. 190 pick. Only Alabama (10), Georgia (10), Michigan (9) and TCU (eight) had more players selected in this year’s NFL Draft.
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Some of the top notable active NFL players born in Ohio include Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (born in Mayfield Heights) and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (Cleveland Heights).
So, which Ohio-born NCAA stars are poised to turn pro at next year’s NFL Draft? Here are some of the notable names to follow throughout the 2023 NCAA football season.
Michael Hall Jr.
Hall Jr. is just one of the many great defensive linemen from the Buckeyes’ program that looks poised for big things in the NFL.
The Akron, Ohio native attended Streetsboro High School in Streetsboro — roughly 32 miles south of Cleveland. Hall Jr. saw limited playing time in his rookie year but emerged as a star for Ryan Day’s club in 2022.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Hall Jr. had 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss for the Buckeyes, who dropped a 42-41 heartbreaker to the eventual Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.
In his way-too-early 2024 NFL first-round mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay had Hall Jr. going to the New York Giants, who own one of the game’s top defensive tackles in Clemson product Dexter Lawrence.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports had Hall Jr. going to the Detroit Lions at No. 24 overall in his mock draft that was published on May 17. Adding Hall to a defensive front headlined by 2022 second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson would sure make things even more exciting in the Motor City.
Tommy Eichenberg
Like Hall Jr.,his star Buckeyes defensive player is widely expected to go in the early rounds of next year’s draft.
Eichenberg was born and raised in Cleveland, attending the city’s Roman Catholic Saint Ignatius High School. Eichenberg is entering his fourth season as a Buckeye, and another strong year should cement him as a first-round pick for 2024.
The workhorse linebacker is coming off a monster season in which he racked up 2.5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 186 total tackles, one interception and three pass defenses.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network listed Eichenberg as the No. 5 linebacker prospect in the 2024 class. It looks like he’ll be the first Buckeyes linebacker to be taken since 2021, when Pete Werner and Baron Browning went 60th and 105th overall, respectively.
Jack Sawyer
The Columbus, Ohio native is yet another native of The Buckeye State who will likely be taken in round one next year.
The 6-foot-4, 267-pound defensive end saw little action in 2021 but burst onto the scene in 2022 by recording 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for a loss to go along with one pass defense. Sawyer graduated from Pickerington High School North in Pickerington.
In his aforementioned 2024 first-round mock draft, McShay has Sawyer going 15th overall to the Denver Broncos. If that were to happen, Sawyer would join one of football’s premier defenses led by cornerback Pat Surtain II, safety Justin Simmons and 2023 first-round pick Drew Sanders.
At Yardbarker, Seth Trachtman has the Houston Texans taking Sawyer with the No. 20 selection. While we’re on the topic, Trachtman had Hall Jr. going ninth overall to the Chicago Bears.
Every year OfficePoolStop.com hosts a free Mock Draft office pool. You can join ours and compete against Mel Kiper’s picks, or you can run your own NFL mock draft pool!
