With the NFL Draft on the way I asked Jeff Ellis, a good friend, draft aficionado, and fellow blogger, to draw up a list of the Buckeyes who had a chance to be drafted and where they might end up going. He was more than happy to oblige. Enjoy!
Since this is my first article for this site it only seems fair to explain why you should have any faith or trust in my opinions. In terms of mocking and scouting college players this will be my 14th straight draft. My mocks get a few thousand hits per draft, nothing huge but solid. I watch every game I can, find every scout, website, or service trying to compile a wealth of information and belief’s. If you are familiar with me as a writer, I am best known for my work with IndiansProspectInsider.com, the title is rather self explanatory. I have also had articles on theclevelandfan and sportstime ohio.
The goal of this article will focus on the players from Ohio State who have a chance to be drafted, focusing on how things have gone at the Senior Bowl, combine, and their overall stock trend pattern. After this I will then tell you were I am mocking or projecting them for this year’s draft.
Mike Adams: OT
No player helped themselves more at the Senior Bowl then turned around and hurt themselves at the combine like Adams. He is huge, and has a body that every team wants in their linemen. At the Senior Bowl he was a dominant force, he shut down projected top ten picks Quentin Coples and Melvin Ingram. He was a stone wall that never gave up one good rush on him, his stock was through the roof, he went from a mid second round pick to mid first.
Then the combine rolled around and he only had 19 bench reps. This was a huge issue, because the only other knocks on him are character issues and work ethic questions. 19 reps is way below the average for a lineman, and all the sudden people were saying Adams was back in the second round.
Now the dust has settled and Adams looks like a guy who will go in mid to late first. It is an extremely weak year for tackle, and Adams has all the skills to be a left tackle. He has the long arm, 34 inches is the minimum arm length for a tackle, and skill set to turn into a very good tackle, but whatever team that drafts him will want to send him to the weight room for sure. I am bullish on Adams, you can’t teach size, but get him on a veteran team with accountability and I think he could end up being the second best tackle in this draft.
In my latest mock I have him going to Chicago at pick 19. He would be the 4th tackle off the board at this point in the draft.
Michael Brewster: C
I feel bad for Brewster, I saw him listed in many mocks as a first rounder as late as December. He was ok at the combine, posted 29 reps, but what hurt him were other players doing even more. The problem for a guy like Brewster is there is almost too much tape on him, and people see him and are not excited. What’s worse than bad buzz is no buzz which is what Brewster has.
The one thing going for him is that I rate only one center with a 1-3 round grade, easily the worst center class I have seen. This offseason Green Bay, Atlanta, and Houston all might lose their centers and all have salary cap issues. This might open up a team to take a risk on a guy who has enough experience to have a chance he could start in a pinch.
He is not in my mock, but 5th round to ATL feels right; they could use a center and lack picks. Green Bay is another sleeper, as they have shown an affinity for OSU players over the years.
Dan Herron: RB
If there is one player I think is heavily underrated right now from this class its Dan “Boom” Herron. During weigh-ins at the Senior Bowl he made scouts oh and ah because of how insanely cut he is. He has really good size at 5’10” and 213 pounds. He had 22 reps, which was 3 better than Mike Adams. On top of that he had some of the best scores at the running back position for the entire combine in both the 20 and 60 yard shuttle, which shows to me he is an athlete with some great agility. Also, his 20 yard shuttle was second only to Chris Rainey who is a track star.
So you got a guy with great agility and power, the issue is his 4.66 40 at the combine. He did post a 4.51 at his pro day, but it is an unofficial time. Still could be valuable back in a one cut offense and he could end up surprising people. At the end of the day he will be a mid round pick that makes a team very happy, because he is a tireless player who will do all the little things to make a team better.
Herron is again not a guy in my mock, but I think he might be ideal to Pittsburgh in round 4. They want to switch to power running game, which is why Arians was forced out. They are a team with a lot of needs, but spending a 4th on a power back to split carries with Redmond would be a smart move.
Devier Posey: WR
Posey was looked at like a possible 2nd or 3rd rounder if he left last year. This year it’s really hard to get a idea of what people think of him. The grades for him go from the 3rd round all the way to 6th round and I am sure, thanks to the red flags, he might be off a few boards. He did himself no favors by showing up to the Senior Bowl looking plain lost and having a really bad week.
He did recover some by posting solid numbers at the combine. Some people at the combine had his 40 time at 4.37, though his official time was 4.5. If he did post a 4.37 then he would be bigger and faster than Justin Blackmon – a similar type of route runner. Really, Posey has no one to blame but himself. If he had played all year he would be a mid to late second rounder, possibly a first rounder. He did not, and now is on the outside looking in.
Posey is also not in my mock, but see him going mid to late in the 4th, thanks to character concerns.
Everyone else in this draft carries the dreaded late round to undrafted label. I do think Andrew Sweat, thanks to the pro day, has a solid chance to get drafted, or signed to be a special team player. Nathan Williams is another that might fit as a late round pick for a team who runs a 3-4 and needs more OLBs.
That’s how the Buckeyes stand with a little more 40 days till the draft. If you enjoyed this you can follow me @jeffIPI on twitter. Look for another column closer to the draft and a post-draft summation.
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