Ohio State Football: 2019 NFL draft class similar to 2006
With nine players selected Ohio State had another impressive showing in the 2019 NFL Draft. Only Alabama had more players chosen.
This group was the third largest for Ohio State over the last 20 years, trailing only the 2004 class which had 14 and the 2016 class that had 12. The 2006 class also had nine.
Urban Meyer made the shrewd move to capitalize on the spectacle the draft has become by showcasing the program as a pipeline to the NFL.
The reality is, Ohio State has always developed NFL-caliber players. Promoting the brand is just easier now.
Once the dust settles from the hoopla, what matters most is how these guys perform on the field.
I guess how they act off the field is most important, but I typically stick with job performance as the primary variable. By comparison, how will this group of players fare to recent classes?
Measuring up to the 2016 class will be difficult. Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas, Taylor Decker and Ezekiel Elliott are elite players, potentially working toward Hall of Fame careers.
Darron Lee, Eli Apple, Vonn Bell and Nick Vannett are all solid starters. That is a 75-percent hit rate right now.
I still cannot believe they did not win a second title in 2015. I digress.
The potential is there to be as good as the 2006 class that included Nick Mangold, A.J. Hawk, Santonio Holmes, Donte Whitner and Rob Sims.
Mangold started 164 games, made six Pro Bowls and was All-Pro twice over 11 years. He is Hall of Fame worthy.
Hawk, Sims, Whitner and Holmes were all one of the best in the league at their position for the better part of their careers.
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I think the 2019 group will be better than the 2004 class which was decent, but not great overall. Out of the 14 players drafted, Will Smith, Chris Gamble, Will Allen and Michael Jenkins were the only stars.
Ben Hartsock also played for 10 years but the rest of the class fizzled.
The three guys that I think will shine in this class are Nick Bosa, Michael Jordan and Terry McLaurin. Parris Campbell, Dre’Mont Jones and Dwayne Haskins will be good.
I feel a little bad for Mike Weber because I think he is built for the NFL. He won’t get many reps playing behind Elliott.
I hope I am wrong but I expect Isaiah Prince and Kendall Sheffield to have short stints.
Next. The Zeke and Mike show could be a good one. dark
If six out of nine hit, that will be a huge success and make them one of the best draft classes in Ohio State history.