Ohio State Freshmen Who Will Make the Greatest Impact In 2017

Here is a look at some of the Ohio State freshmen likely to see significant playing time next season.

With the Ohio State underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft, many young players will have the chance to step up and make a difference for the Buckeyes this fall. Having the nation’s second-best recruiting class coming in, I imagine that a lot of blue-chip freshmen will compete for starting roles. Especially since nine of them are early enrollees who will practice with the team this spring.

There are a couple of negatives in starting a true freshman, though.  The first is that they lack experience and are prone to make mistakes. The second one is, the earlier a top-tier player sees significant playing time, the more likely it will be for him to leave early to the NFL.

Nevertheless, here is a list of the seven freshmen who I think will make the greatest impact this coming season, listed from the least likely to the most likely.

7.) Chase Young, DE (6-5, 251)

If not for the depth Ohio State has on the defensive line Chase Young would be a lot higher on this list. He has future top five NFL draft pick written all over him.

I imagine that with Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes, Jonathon Cooper and company returning, Young probably won’t get into the rotation much. But who knows? We’re talking about a five-star guy with pass rush skills as good as any freshman in the country.

One thing that we will see right off the bat in Young is great length and athleticism. And while he’s an excellent pass rusher off the edge, perhaps his best trait is having the ability to get a hand up and bat down passes at the line of scrimmage. We will be lucky to see this guy stick around until his senior season.