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December 17, 2015With the NFL regular season winding down, 2016 NFL mock drafts continue to trickle in. ESPN’s Todd McShay has released the first of his many mock drafts, and has four Ohio State Buckeyes going in the first round: DE Joey Bosa to Tennessee (No. 1), WR Michael Thomas to Washington (No. 16), OT Taylor Decker to Buffalo (No. 18), and LB Darron Lee to Minnesota (No. 23)
Three of the four Ohio State players that McShay has going in the first round are juniors who will (presumably) be leaving school a year early.
Defensive end Joey Bosa has impressed since the minute he walked on Ohio State’s campus. Although he didn’t have the shiny stats ordinarily associated with a No. 1 overall pick (47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, five sacks, four pass breakups, and 14 quarterback pressures) in 2015, he was double- and even triple-teamed on almost every snap.
While almost every mock draft has Bosa as one of the top picks, the All-American still has to officially declare for the draft. Remember that his brother Nick committed to the Buckeyes and will be in Columbus next fall. Could that be enough to lure Joey back to school for his senior season? Probably not. Bosa will have plenty of money to fill his pockets if McShay’s prediction comes to fruition.
Even with the Titans’ apparent needs on offense, it would be hard for them to pass on the best player in the draft. Bosa is scheme-versatile, with experience playing defensive end on both sides and moving inside to defensive tackle on obvious passing downs. And with 51.0 tackles for loss in 40 career games, he has the production you look for in a top pick.
By far the best wide receiver on Ohio State, Michael Thomas has the hands and ankle-breaking moves to be one of the top receivers taken in 2016. He may not have blistering top-end speed, but his hands and moves with and without the ball make up for that. McShay believes that only receiver picked ahead of Thomas will be Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell, who he projects going No. 10 to St. Louis.
Thomas finished his junior regular season with 49 catches for 709 yards and eight touchdowns.
Thomas lacks elite speed as a vertical receiver, but he is a very good route runner. He knows how to use his 6-3, 210-pound frame when the ball is in the air, displaying outstanding overall ball skills (17 TDs over the past two seasons). Thomas has enough burst to turn a short pass into a long gain.
At 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Taylor Decker’s decision to return to school for his senior year season seemed to be a good one; McShay believes that he will be the fourth offensive tackle taken in 2016. Although the All-American still has plenty in his game to work on, Decker was the anchor on an offensive line that opened plenty of holes to run through for both running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback J.T. Barrett.
There’s a clear top tier of offensive tackles this year (Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil, Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, Michigan State’s Jack Conklin, and Decker) and then a big drop-off after that, so I don’t expect the fourth guy to last too long. At 6-7, 320 pounds, Decker has long arms and above-average feet for his size. NFL teams should like his toughness, while his inconsistent pad level and hand placement continue to be areas for improvement.
The fourth and final Buckeye McShay believes will be picked in the first round is redshirt junior outside linebacker Darron Lee. With an impressive College Football Playoff in 2014, Lee continued to turn heads in 2015. He finished the regular season with 59 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, two passes defended, and one touchdown. While putting pressure on the opponent’s backfield, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker proved that he is athletic enough to guard opponents in pass coverage as well.
Lee could benefit from returning to school and gaining more experience playing inside, but if he comes out early, he will probably be a first-round pick. A former high school quarterback, Lee has outstanding natural athleticism and speed for his size (6-2, 235 pounds). And he has the production to back it up — 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, three INTs and two forced fumbles the past two seasons.
The draft is still months away. But with the Browns likely to have a top-five pick and plenty of Buckeyes projected to be chosen in the first round, all of Ohio will have their eyes on the upcoming draft.
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elliott may get picked in the first round as well …