Ohio State Football: 2 Buckeyes among top 2021 draft prospects
Looking ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has two Ohio State football players projected to be Top 10 prospects.
There is no question Justin Fields is expected to be a high draft pick next year because he and Trevor Lawrence are the two best quarterbacks in the country. Both will be front-runners for the Heisman Trophy next season.
In Mel Kiper’s 2021 NFL draft rankings, Kiper has Fields as the 3rd overall prospect behind Lawrence at #1 and Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell at #2.
As discussed in my article regarding strength of schedules for Ohio State and Clemson, it will be interesting to see how the Fields versus Lawrence battle heats up throughout the season. There is no doubt that Fields will face more competitive opponents than Lawrence.
If he can stay healthy throughout the duration of the season don’t be surprised if Fields can challenge Lawrence to be the top quarterback in this draft class.
To round out the top 5, Kiper has LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase as the #4 prospect and Penn State OLB Micah Parsons as the 5th overall prospect.
The #6 prospect is Ohio State’s Shaun Wade. The returning fourth-year junior played mostly inside for the Buckeyes this past season due to the 2 first-round draft picks in Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette playing outside.
Wade will be the leader of this Buckeye secondary this year. His versatility and his athleticism will help improve his production which will most likely raise his draft stock.
Following Wade as the #6 overall prospect, here are the #7 through #10 draft prospects, according to Mel Kiper Jr:
- #7. Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
- #8. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
- #9. Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State
- #10. Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
Next. Ranking top 10 Buckeye skill position players. dark
With the 2020 season ahead, the Buckeyes will once again look to dominate this next NFL Draft. In addition to Fields and Wade, Chris Olave will be a top prospect in the 2021 class as well. With K.J Hill, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack gone, Olave will have an extremely productive season as Fields’ top outside threat.