*Dwayne Haskins Jr. – Noteworthy
As Dwayne Haskins Jr. prepares for the NFL combine this week in Indianapolis, he is on the precipice of something achieved by only one other Ohio State quarterback. Barring a shocking drop down draft boards, Haskins will join Art Schlichter as the only Buckeyes QB to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Schlichter went fourth overall to the Baltimore Colts in 1982 before his career and life derailed because of his gambling addiction. Haskins is expected to go in the top half of the first round. Speculation already is swirling that the New York Giants want him with the sixth pick. It is a remarkable rise for someone who hadn’t started a college game until last season. It is also remarkable that a program like Ohio State has failed to produce standout NFL quarterbacks. The Buckeyes have had 48 first-round picks at other positions since the Colts took Schlichter.
It’s not just OSU quarterbacks that haven’t gone in the first round. Since Carolina took Penn State’s Kerry Collins with the fifth pick of the 1995 draft, no Big Ten quarterback has been selected in the first round. In some ways, that speaks more to the NFL’s failings than the Big Ten’s. There is reason to think that Michigan’s Tom Brady and Purdue’s Drew Brees might sneak into the first round if teams could do a re-draft for 2000 and 2001. But Ohio State quarterbacks who went later in the draft also have failed to make much of a mark. – The Columbus Dispatch
*Kendall Sheffield – Noteworthy
Ten bold predictions for the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine: Buckeyes’ Kendall Sheppard is this year’s Fastest Man, Texas A&M’s Daylon Mack is the strongest…Predicting the fastest and strongest players at the Combine each year is always entertaining and so I will take a stab at it. A year ago, it was a duo from LSU (cornerback Donte Jackson and wide receiver DJ Chark) who set the Lucas Oil Field track on fire with a pair of low 4.3 times in the 40-yard dash. This year, watch out for the Buckeyes with underrated cornerback Kendall Sheppard likely beating out former teammate Parris Campbell to take home the title as the fastest man at the 2019 NFL Combine. As for the strong-man competition in the bench press drill, I have my eye on the powerful run-stuffing nose guards of this class with the powerful Mack my pick to crack 40 repetitions of 225 pounds. – Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
Jonah Jackson – Noteworthy
Ohio State got a major addition to its offensive line for 2019 on Monday when Rutgers’ Jonah Jackson announced he would become a Buckeye as a graduate transfer. On Twitter, Jackson posted a photo of himself in a No. 73 Ohio State uniform with the word “COMMITTED.” Jackson was named honorable mention all-Big Ten team last year by both the league’s coaches and media. The 6-foot-4, 297-pounder is the second-best available guard in the 247sports.com transfer portal rankings. Jackson can also play center but is likely to be slotted as a left guard for the Buckeyes, who lose four starting offensive linemen from last year’s team. Left tackle Thayer Munford is the only returning starter, and the junior is not a lock to start next year. Senior Josh Alabi will battle for the job at left tackle with Munford or right tackle with former five-star Nicholas Petit-Frere, a redshirt freshman. – The Columbus Dispatch
*Nick Bosa – Noteworthy
The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off on March 1, and the certified top prospect of the entire 2019 class is ?defensive end Nick Bosa. The edge-rusher hit a speed bump in his junior season, as he suffered a core muscle injury, and announced he would not return to the Ohio State Buckeyes, and instead? focus on the NFL Draft. And for teams in need for an elite pass-rusher, there are no question marks in regards to Bosa’s health. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Bosa is “healthy enough” to participate in all drills at the combine this weekend. While he only played in three games this past season, scouts are enamored by the younger Bosa brother, calling him a better athlete than Joey of the Los Angeles Chargers. During his three-year career at Ohio State, Bosa recorded 77 tackles (29 for loss), 17.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. – 12up