Today is the day for at least two Ohio State players and maybe three or four, as the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. Thursday for the first round, with the second and third rounds starting at 7 p.m. Friday, and then the draft wrapping up on Saturday at noon with rounds 4-7.
The mock drafts continue to predict two Buckeyes – defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah – as top-five picks, while cornerback Damon Arnette seems to be the near-consensus pick to be the third Ohio State player to be selected.
Here are eight mock drafts, ranging from just the first round to all seven rounds, and where Ohio State players are expected to go within the 2020 NFL Draft. In total, 11 Buckeyes are mentioned across all of the mock drafts.
Kevin Hanson, Sports Illustrated, First Round Only
Chase Young, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, Pick No. 3 (DET)
Jason McIntyre, Fox Sports, First Round
Chase Young, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, Pick No. 3 (DET)
The Athletic NFL Staff, First Round
Chase Young, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, Pick No. 3 (DET)
All three of these mock drafts have the same result, with Ohio State’s best defensive players going consecutively within the top three. These mocks also seem less sold on Okudah’s placement, who would become the first corner from any program to be selected top three since Ohio State had another third pick in Shawn Springs in 1997.
Many of this depends on if the Detroit Lions ultimately trade out of the position to a team that is in need of a quarterback, but if Detroit stands firm, Okudah is expected to be the pick.
Dalton Johnson and Josh Schrock, NBC Sports, First Round
Chase Young, Pick No. 3 (DET)
Jeff Okudah, Pick No. 5 (WAS via trade)
Now here is something new. Again, Young and Okudah are going to the Lions and Washington Redskins, but the teams are flipped thanks to a projected trade by Washington to the Miami Dolphins so that Miami can pick Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert at No. 2.
With that happening, Young falls into the Lions’ laps at three and Okudah gets taken by Washington two spots later after the New York Giants go instead with linebacker Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson.
“Ron Rivera will be just fine with this. Washington signed Kendall Fuller in the offseason, and now adds the best corner in the draft,” Johnson wrote. “Okudah might be the most polished cornerback in years.”
Lance Cartelli, 247Sports, Two Rounds
Chase Young, First Round, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, First Round, Pick No. 3 (DET)
Damon Arnette, Second Round, Pick No. 48 (NYJ)
The first two picks remain the same, but with an added projection of the second round, only one more Ohio State player goes off the board in Cartelli’s mock. That player is Arnette, who goes right in the middle of the round to the New York Jets.
Arnette had a much-improved 2019 campaign, and has a wide-range for his projection, with some believing he has a chance to sneak into the first round.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News, Three Rounds
Chase Young, First Round, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, First Round, Pick No. 3 (DET)
J.K. Dobbins, Second Round, Pick No. 45 (TB)
Malik Harrison, Second Round, Pick No. 53 (PHI)
Damon Arnette, Third Round, Pick No. 69 (CAR)
Jonah Jackson, Third Round, Pick No. 83 (DEN)
K.J. Hill, Third Round, Pick No. 100 (NE)
DaVon Hamilton, Third Round, Pick No. 102 (PIT)
Iyer has eight Buckeyes off the board within the first three rounds, including a pair in the second round in running back J.K. Dobbins and linebacker Malik Harrison. Dobbins’ landing spot to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be particularly interesting, as he could fill the last major spot in Tampa’s arsenal after the team has signed quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to go with wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
There are three other new names here in offensive lineman Jonah Jackson, wide receiver K.J. Hill and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, who were selected to go to the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com, Seven Rounds
Chase Young, First Round, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, First Round, Pick No. 3 (DET)
Damon Arnette, Second Round, Pick No. 48 (NYJ)
Malik Harrison, Second Round, Pick No. 63 (KC)
J.K. Dobbins, Third Round, Pick No. 93 (TEN)
Jonah Jackson, Third Round, Pick No. 95 (DEN)
DaVon Hamilton, Third Round, Pick No. 100 (NE)
K.J. Hill, Fifth Round, Pick No. 152 (CAR)
Binjimen Victor, Sixth Round, Pick No. 189 (JAX)
Branden Bowen, Seventh Round, Pick No. 230 (NE)
A total of 10 Ohio State players are mentioned in Reuter’s full mock draft, including wide receiver Binjimen Victor and offensive linemen Branden Bowen, a pair of seniors who made a big impact on the Buckeyes’ offense in 2019.
This is also the second mock draft that has both Arnette to the New York Jets and Jackson to the Denver Broncos in the second and third rounds, respectively. With Hamilton in the third and Bowen in the seventh, this mock draft also projects the New England Patriots as the lone team taking a chance on two Buckeyes in this year’s draft.
R.J. White, CBS Sports, Seven Rounds
Chase Young, First Round, Pick No. 2 (WAS)
Jeff Okudah, First Round, Pick No. 5 (DET via trade)
Damon Arnette, Second Round, Pick No. 47 (ATL)
J.K. Dobbins, Second Round, Pick No. 57 (LAR)
Jonah Jackson, Third Round, Pick No. 70 (DET via trade)
Malik Harrison, Third Round, Pick No. 74 (CLE)
DaVon Hamilton, Third Round, Pick No. 105 (MIN)
K.J. Hill, Fourth Round, Pick No. 118 (DEN)
Jordan Fuller, Seventh Round, Pick No. 217 (SF)
Another mock draft that has Okudah dropping to the fifth pick, but this time he still ends up in Detroit following a trade that has the Dolphins selecting Alabama signal caller Tua Tagovailoa. From there, it is again Arnette that comes off the board next, followed closely by Dobbins who attempts to take over the running back position for the Los Angeles Rams after Todd Gurley’s departure to Atlanta.
In order for Detroit to move down in this mock draft, it also meant that the Lions snagged an extra pick in the third round, which was used to select another Ohio State player in Jackson.
Safety and two-time captain Jordan Fuller makes his first appearance on the draft board here, with White having him go with Nick Bosa and the defending NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers.
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