![]() He carried a high four-star ranking coming out of high school, and was a top-40 player overall. Some people forget that Smith was a monster recruit prior to his time at OSU. But the talent is there, and I could see him fine-tuning his craft to make a real impact in the NFL. Smith was injured at times, constantly played as part of a rotation, and rarely put it all together for long stretches. And by almost, I mean he literally almost got to the quarterback so many times! He finished his college career with eight sacks, but it felt like he could have had 18 (or more). Smith was almost a wrecking ball during career at Ohio State. ![]() He is my pick for this You’re Nuts topic because I still don’t know what he is, but I think he can be a productive player at the next level. But one player who I felt got lost in the shuffle, and is still a bit of an unknown, is Tyreke Smith. And Haskell Garrett went from All-Big Ten candidate to arguably “just another guy”. Sevyn Banks (another projected first-rounder) never gained traction and is looking to improve his stock elsewhere. Zach Harrison was a projected first-rounder, but plateaued, and is back to hopefully maximize his potential under Jim Knowles. On defense, former standouts were the victim(s) of widespread coaching malpractice, erasing all hype they had entering last season. I guess you could talk me into NPF currently being more of a household name than he was 12 months ago, but it wouldn’t be easy, and I believe Munford’s stock actually dropped due to an oddly-timed and questionably-executed position change. On the offensive side of the ball, Jeremy Ruckert’s draft prep has been affected by injury, and two linemen with considerable hype heading into the 2021 season – Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere – were unable to raise their profile throughout the year. While I don’t necessarily agree with the notion that the majority of this year’s Ohio State draft candidates are only worthy of a weekend look, I will admit that the noise around “other” former Buckeyes has been reduced to a low murmur. Let’s not forget that last year’s class had 10 players taken in the first five rounds! There is no need to overreact. OSU is still one of, if not the top, NFL talent producers in existence, and that’s not changing anytime soon. The lone exception might be Alabama, but even they have had down years when it comes to the draft. Ohio State and virtually every other top program is going to have years like this. To those people: I apologize for what I really called you before Gene suggested an edit, but just know that you are wrong. It’s science.Īnd I’ve heard a few people suggest that the lack of depth in this class is somehow an indictment on Ryan Day and his ability to product NFL talent. Friday could be devoid of former OSU players, leaving a Thursday night to Saturday afternoon gap in between. ![]() I would not be completely shocked if we see Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave go early in the first round, followed by multiple rounds and/or days going by before another Buckeye is selected - Yes, I said “ days” with an “S”. This 2022 Ohio State draft class is incredibly top-heavy, and I don’t think I am coming in hot with my opening statement. This week’s topic: Your favorite under-the-radar Ohio State NFL Draft prospect. ![]() Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts. In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts. Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends.
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