Ohio State Recruiting Round-Up: Josh Myers

Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Myers.

Moving forward with our Ohio State Recruiting Round-Up series, we will look into an Ohio son that has enrolled early. Josh Myers is widely regarded as the second most impressive lineman in this year’s Buckeye recruiting class.

Playing time on the offensive line will be at a premium considering Pat Elflein is the only starter departing. However, with the inconsistent play of last year’s unit it would not be shocking to see a newcomer emerge at the top of the depth chart.

Player: Josh Myers

Hometown: Miamisburg, Ohio

Position: Offensive Tackle/Interior Offensive Line

Height: 6-6

Weight: 310 lbs.

Ranking: 4 Stars

Chose Ohio State Over: Alabama & Bowling Green

The projected starting offensive line looks to be Jamarco Jones, Michael Jordan, Billy Price, Isiah Prince, and an open spot at guard. Replacing Elflein at the anchor position will be a tough task, but Billy Price is moving over to fill in.

A couple of the players on the radar for the guard position are Matthew Burrell and Demetrius Knox. Both of those players have a few years under their belts and it would be tough for a freshman like Myers to crack the lineup. Stranger things have happened though and he is an extremely talented player.

Strengths: What separates Myers from other offensive linemen in this class are his elite feet. This allows him to drive opponents off the line, and although he did not show much of this on film, his quick feet should allow him to drop into pass protection quickly.

His athleticism also allows him to pull quickly and Myers also reaches the second level more often than not. While watching his film, we never see Myers lose balance and he is always under control, never bending too far or overextending to stop the defender.

Weaknesses: The offense Myers’ team ran in high school did not prepare him for life as a Big Ten offensive lineman at all. They ran the Wing-T, which utilizes pulling plays and very few passing plays.

Although Myers may have become an expert in pulling, his pass protection will need work for him to see the field. This is splitting hairs, but Myers easily dominated much smaller and less athletic

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opponents while in high school and he showed a lack of technique too often.

There were a few times when he looked like he should have smashed his opponent faster, but he came out of his stance too high or stopped moving his feet. This is something that is fairly common when the talent gap is large, because it becomes too easy for players like Myers in high school.

Comparison: Taylor Decker, 2015: I project that Myers’ career path will be similar to Decker’s if he is lucky. Decker was a dependable and solid offensive lineman for the majority of his career, but emerged and cemented himself as one of the best lineman in Ohio State history by the time he left Columbus.

Much like Myers, Decker has versatility with his mean streak and aggressiveness that allowed him to thrive in the running game. And his quick feet and length helped him become a force in pass protection.

Overall: Myers will be a fan favorite, because he is a hometown boy who has been committed to the Buckeye family so long, I put Bowling Green down as the competition for his talents. The Army All-American enrolled early and has an immense amount of physical talent, but I believe there is some flaws in his technique especially in the passing game.

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The flaws are correctable, but he may be another red-shirt candidate that sees the field in year two.