Ohio State Football: 3 not obvious players who could leave early for NFL
By Ryan Stano
Zach Harrison was pegged as a first-round pick in 2022 before this season started. He came to Ohio State as a five-star recruit and big things were expected of him. While he has shown some great flashes in his three years in Columbus, he hasn’t put it all together yet.
One of our writers thought that Harrison could be coming back next year. I’m not as certain that will be the case. He isn’t putting up the numbers that would make him a first-rounder. In 27 career games, Harrison only has 7.5 sacks. Those aren’t first-round pick numbers.
Harrison has the opportunity to come back next year. He would start at defensive end yet again. But if he did come back, he might be taking snaps away from some of the young players like J.T. Tuimoloau or Jack Sawyer at that position. He needs to produce if he were to come back.
If he left, Harrison is likely a third-round pick right now. He might have a chance to get up to a second-rounder if he tested well at the Combine. His production certainly isn’t good enough to justify him being any higher of a pick either. That’s why it’s a question whether or not he comes back.
If Harrison were to leave, he could end up being a bargain pick in the third round if he could ever figure things out. If he could produce on a consistent basis in the NFL he could end up being a pretty nice value pick that late in the Draft, because his talent is so high.
The next player on this list is someone who ended up losing most of this year due to injury, but still could be an NFL prospect.