Ohio State Football: Ranking top 5 Buckeyes in NFL
By Ben Swanger
No. 1 Ohio State Football Player in the NFL: Michael Thomas
The other Saint on the list is the league’s top wideout Michael Thomas. It’s hard to argue that 2019’s AP Offensive Player of the Year isn’t the best Buckeye in the NFL.
Thomas came into the NFL as a second round draft pick, and is the only day two pick on this list. He was the sixth receiver taken that year and Thomas has more career receiving yards than all five wideouts drafted before him.
Thomas was not as elite in college as he is in the NFL, but he did put up good numbers. In three seasons, two as a starter, Thomas racked up 1,602 receiving yards and 18 visits to the endzone.
For some reason once Thomas put on the black and gold, a switch flipped. Thomas put up 1,137 yards and 9 touchdowns as a rookie. He proved to every franchise that passed on him in the draft that they were wrong.
In 2019, amidst the injury to Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, Thomas still managed to generate the best season of his career by breaking the league’s single season reception record with 149. Oh, he also produced 1,700 yards. It was enough to earn him the Offensive Player of the Year award.
According to PFF, since 2017 Thomas has been the highest graded receiver two of those three seasons.
Related Story: Thomas is the best offensive player in the NFL
Thomas has the potential to go down as the greatest Buckeye to ever play on Sundays. His dominance should be unquestioned and he is the best receiver in the game.
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He was drafted into a perfect situation, with a Hall of Fame quarterback and carries a mentality unlike any other’s. Thomas is a once-in-a-generation talent at receiver and don’t be surprised if, when it’s all said and done, he is considered one of the best receivers in the history of football.
So, there you have it, the top five Buckeyes in the NFL. Ohio State products are flooding the gates of the National Football League and everywhere you turn a Buckeye is making plays and getting paid.
Of course, Nick Bosa is up and coming as a pass rusher and he might be on this list a year from now. Marshon Lattimore is one of the game’s best cover corners and he might be on this list in 2021. There’s no doubt that Columbus is where stars are produced.
Next. Could Alabama be added to regular season schedule? . dark
There’s no college football program that produces the NFL’s elite like The Ohio State.