Former Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday with the No. 148 overall pick in the 5th round in the 2024 NFL draft.
Eichenberg was at Ohio State since the 2019 season, redshirting his first year and earning an extra year of eligibility for the COVID-19 season, but he decided to go to the NFL instead of use his extra year.
In his three seasons which he played for the Buckeyes, he had 37 games played with 258 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and six passes defended. He was the team-leader in tackles for the 2022 season with 112, 11½ of those for a loss, also returning an interception for a touchdown.
He was named the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year for the Big Ten in 2023, playing in just 10 games after suffering an arm injury against Rutgers late in the season.
During his time at Ohio State, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles praised the Mike linebacker for his in depth knowledge of how the game of football works, and his teammates did for being a great leader as the quarterback of the defense.
“Tommy is an all-time leader. It doesn’t matter what his role is on the field or practice or anything,” Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon said. “He’s going to be vocal and makes sure that we’re all on our stuff. He’s always helping us out. He is another eye for us to make changes and everything. But I’m so happy to have him on our side. He’s such a great leader.”
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein likes what Eichenberg brings in defending the run game but believes he could improve some in his pass coverage to make it in the NFL.
“Eichenberg is passionate and tough with the desired mindset of an inside linebacker,” Zierlein wrote. “While he plays with good physicality at the point of attack, he’s more of a fit-and-fill linebacker than one who will make plays and disrupt what the offense is trying to do in the run game. He’s a straight-line mover lacking ideal bend, speed and agility for open-field tackling and coverage duties. The production looks great but it might not translate into a long-term NFL run.”
