Ohio State football: Buckeye offensive Draft preview

The Ohio State football team will have plenty of offensive players hoping to have their name called this weekend. We preview the offensive players who are draft-eligible and see where they might go.

Well, after months of waiting, hours upon hours of discussion, article after article published, and teams have poked, prodded, dissected, worked out, measured, weighed, and quizzed the prospects, the NFL Draft is just two days away. Thank goodness.

Today I’ll take a look at how one draft publication views some Buckeyes on the offensive side of the ball. Ourlad’s Guide to the NFL Draft is in its 40th year of publication. Dan Shonka, their GM and National Scout, is a football guy with over 16 years of scouting experience in the NFL and USFL. The guys at Ourlad’s know what they’re talking about.

Here’s a look at what they have to say about some Buckeyes.

Justin Fields   Quarterback – Has a tremendous arm and is one of the best athletes at the position to ever enter the draft. Good arm strength and velocity, and throws well on the run going either right or left. Does a good job of throwing over linebackers and is accurate on deep passes. There are questions about his ability to process information and avoid mistakes.

He can be fooled by complex defenses and will wait too long for a receiver to come open. Is a good candidate to sit and learn for a season. However, he checks off all of the boxes of a big-time prospect and is an impact player with starter ability. Coachable, dependable, high character player. They list him as their most underappreciated quarterback. Fields is considered a high first-round pick.

Wyatt Davis   Guard – Their second-rated guard. He’s a mauler with excellent power that shows against bull rushers in pass protection and run blocking. Powerful initial push and quick enough to get to the second level. Plays with an attitude and has good burst and explosion off the line of scrimmage.

When moving laterally he struggles to get across an opponent’s face. He also has a tendency to reach and doesn’t always adjust his footwork. This could hurt him in pass protection. They feel he can contribute in the run game right away and will become a solid starter. Ourlad’s gives him a second/third-round grade and has him being selected near the top of the third round.

Josh Myers   Center – At 6’4” he’s not your typical interior lineman. He might be a good candidate to change positions; has the versatility and smarts to do so. Has a strong punch off the line of scrimmage, is athletic, and can get to the second level.

Has good hands and uses them to ride bigger defenders out of the play, but will rely on them too much. They say he projects as a backup early in his career, but shows a lot of potential and has the tools to be a starter down the road. They’ve given him a third/fourth-round grade and project him going early in the fourth round.

Trey Sermon   Running Back – Physical, slashing-type, who runs hungry and smart, has good vision, and doesn’t fumble. He’s fast, explosive, and shows an extra gear, but does have limited top-end speed. Has good balance, takes what the defense gives him, and finds cutback lanes. He tends to run high, so he needs to work on getting lower to protect himself better.

There are questions about his pass-catching ability because he wasn’t used much as a receiver in his career. He has a fifth/sixth round grade, but they have him being chosen in the middle of the fourth round.

Blake Haubiel   Kicker – Ourlad’s sees only one kicker being drafted over the seven rounds, so I’ll rely on Pro Football Network’s report for Haubiel and Drue Chrisman. PFN says Haubiel is consistent and drives extra points and field goals through the uprights. Shows a big-time leg on field goals (has a career-long of 55 yards).

He has good hang time on kickoffs, but is more of a directional kicker and doesn’t drive kicks through the end zone. This is a criticism I don’t really understand because the Ohio State football program does a lot of directional kicking. The choice to do so had nothing to do with Haubiel’s ability to put the ball into the end zone. Pro Football Network sees him being drafted in the sixth round.

Drue Chrisman   Punter – Versatile punter with good hang time. He’s smooth, fluid, and good at handling bad snaps. Has the ability to place his kicks. Needs to improve getting the ball away quicker. Candidate to be taken on Day 3 when rounds four through seven are completed. He could become a starting punter as a rookie. Pro Football Network’s top-rated punter.

There’s your look at a few Ohio State football players on the offensive side of the ball as they’re seen by the guys at Ourlad’s with a bit of special teams help from Pro Football Network. Tomorrow we’ll see what they have to say about Ohio State defensive players in the draft.