LGHL You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State player will be selected first in the 2025 NFL Draft?
- News
- 0 Replies
You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State player will be selected first in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With the 2024 NFL Draft now over and done, we move on to what should be a loaded class of Buckeyes in 2025.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
With the 2024 NFL Draft now officially in the books, it is time topiss and moan about who our teams took look ahead to 2025. Yup, I said it. It is never too early for draft sickos such as myself. Actually, if I’m being honest, I will probably start looking at NBA mock drafts, and I don’t even know half of those prospects! But draft addiction is real, people. And I’m a candidate for a 12-step program.
Getting back to the NFL Draft, this year’s version was light on Ohio State Buckeyes. The program had a very small group of players available – for them – led by Marvin Harrison Jr., who unsurprisingly came off the board very early. But after Marv, high-end prospects were few and far between, as most of OSU’s top prospects chose to run it back and chase a championship this upcoming season... Meaning that the 2025 draft should be littered with Scarlet and Gray.
With that in mind, Gene and I decided to predict which Buckeye will come off the board first next year. Ohio State should have upwards of 15+ players with draftable grades, so there are plenty to choose from. And several could (likely will) eventually receive a first-round grade, which makes this exercise even more interesting.
We’re not looking at a group of “Marv and then the rest” like this year. I truly believe that OSU could have as many as 10 players who receive either a first or second-round grade in 2025, and from there it’s all about team preference. If you think that I might be dabbling in hard drugs, keep in mind that Alabama had six first-rounders in 2021 and a total of eight players taken in the first 38 picks of that draft. So it’s not completely out of the question for 8-10 Buckeyes to eventually be considered in the same range.
Now which player do I think comes off the board first? Well, I’m going to go out on a long, long, long limb here and say: Sonny Styles.
I know, I know. But hear me out! Or imagine, if you will: Isaiah Simmons, only better. That is my thought process here, as Simmons and Styles share similar skill sets, body types, and experience. And the former was taken eighth overall in the 2020 draft.
Simmons redshirted his first year at Clemson, Styles played sparingly. Simmons played safety for two seasons and averaged 65 tackles and 1.5 sacks per. Styles racked up 53 tackles and 2.5 sacks playing safety in 2023. In Simmons’ last year, he moved the linebacker and became a highly coveted NFL prospect. What position is Styles moving to this year? You guessed it...
On the size front, Simmons and Styles are nearly identical. Simmons is currently listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, while Styles is listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, but the latter will bulk up to play full-time linebacker. I could go on and on about the similarities, but my point in comparing the two is to remind people how freaking awesome Simmons was as a college linebacker — and then to say that I think Styles could experience a similar breakout this season. If he does (break out), well then we’re talking about an early first-round prospect.
I have not seen Styles’ name pop up in/on any early 2025 mocks, so that is why I said that I am going out on a limb... But the freaky unicorn skillset is there. And the NFL loves freaky (theoretical) unicorns.
The 2024 NFL Draft saw Ohio State’s fewest players selected in 11 years. The Buckeyes’ draft class consisted of just four guys, led by Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall, followed by Mike Hall Jr. in the second round and Cade Stover and Tommy Eichenberg in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
As Josh touched on, the reason for a smaller-than-normal class was largely the result of the vast majority of Ohio State’s draft-eligible players deciding to run it back for another year in Columbus. Now that NIL opportunities exist at the college level, it is much easier for guys to justify playing another season at the prep level with hopes of increasing their stock for the following year. In the Buckeyes’ case, there are more than a handful of guys who fit that description.
Take a look at the way-too-early mocks, and it's clear that there is no real consensus this far out about what even the top of the first round is going to look like. Guys like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and LSU’s Harold Perkins generally find their names towards the top of the list, but there aren’t too many sure-fire top picks at this stage in the process. Among the Buckeyes who will enter their names into the 2025 NFL Draft, there is even less certainty.
Ohio State’s top eligible talents find their names all over the board. Some mocks have Ohio State seeing three players taken in the top-15 picks, while others don't have a single Buckeye selected until the latter half of the first round. Even the top player from OSU isn’t set in stone, with seemingly a different name leading the pack depending on who you ask.
For me, I think there are about five players — maybe more — that can earn first round NFL Draft grades with a productive season in 2024. On offense, Emeka Egbuka would appear to have the best shot as yet another Brian Hartline-developed talent to be selected early, while an expectedly-strong Ohio State defense could see guys like J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and Denzel Burke work their way into the first round, among others. If running backs were viewed more highly by the NFL, or if a team need exists, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins will rank at the top of their position group as well.
Personally, I imagine Ohio State’ defense is going to outplay its offense in 2024. I do think Egbuka will be another first round receiver for the Buckeyes, but I don't think he will be the first name called for Ryan Day’s group. Instead, I’m going to go a little bit out on a limb and choose Tuimoloau as Ohio State’s top draftee in 2025.
Now, “going out on a limb,” for a five-star defensive lineman who was the No. 4 overall player in his recruiting class certainly isn’t the longest long shot in the world, and NFL GM’s will likely value Tuimoloau for his physical traits alone, but I still think we will need to see a lot more from the Washington native this season if he is going to play his way into an early first rounder. That doesn’t mean he needs to post 16.5-sacks a la Chase Young in 2019, but he would probably need to surpass his career-high of five sacks from this past season in order to be labeled a truly elite prospect.
That being said, Tuimoloau has been an incredibly solid and dependable player for Ohio State, more so in the Zach Harrison mold than in Young or a Bosa. In his three seasons in Columbus, Tuimoloau has posted 83 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 12 sacks while also adding a pair of interceptions — one of which he returned for a TD against Penn State in 2022 — and seven pass breakups. The defensive end hasn’t been up there with the elite pass rushers, but he has been tremendous in controlling the run game and has seemed to always play his best in the fourth quarter when the team needs him most.
Tuimoloau moves very well for a guy listed at 6-foot-5 and 269 pounds, and has shown impressive stamina given his fourth quarter heroics, especially given Larry Johnson’s puzzling decision to basically never rotate his defensive line in 2024 — but that is neither here nor there. There is value in guys like Harrison and Tuimoloau, but if you are going to be a high first-round defensive end taken in the NFL Draft, I do still think those sack totals will have to go up at least a little bit in 2024. If he could reach double-digit sacks, a lofty goal given his career-high is currently half of that, I could see Tuimoloau being a top-10 pick in 2025.
Among the few 2025 mocks I have looked at, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has been the most kind to the Buckeyes. He too has Tuimoloau as the first Ohio State player off the board at No. 5, followed by Denzel Burke (my other top choice for this exercise) at No. 8 and Emeka Egbuka at No. 14. Wilson has seven total Buckeyes going in his first round, with Donovan Jackson (16), Tyleik Williams (17), Jack Sawyer (28) and Quinshon Judkins (32) also making his first round mock.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With the 2024 NFL Draft now over and done, we move on to what should be a loaded class of Buckeyes in 2025.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Which Ohio State player will be selected first in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Josh’s Take
With the 2024 NFL Draft now officially in the books, it is time to
Getting back to the NFL Draft, this year’s version was light on Ohio State Buckeyes. The program had a very small group of players available – for them – led by Marvin Harrison Jr., who unsurprisingly came off the board very early. But after Marv, high-end prospects were few and far between, as most of OSU’s top prospects chose to run it back and chase a championship this upcoming season... Meaning that the 2025 draft should be littered with Scarlet and Gray.
With that in mind, Gene and I decided to predict which Buckeye will come off the board first next year. Ohio State should have upwards of 15+ players with draftable grades, so there are plenty to choose from. And several could (likely will) eventually receive a first-round grade, which makes this exercise even more interesting.
We’re not looking at a group of “Marv and then the rest” like this year. I truly believe that OSU could have as many as 10 players who receive either a first or second-round grade in 2025, and from there it’s all about team preference. If you think that I might be dabbling in hard drugs, keep in mind that Alabama had six first-rounders in 2021 and a total of eight players taken in the first 38 picks of that draft. So it’s not completely out of the question for 8-10 Buckeyes to eventually be considered in the same range.
Now which player do I think comes off the board first? Well, I’m going to go out on a long, long, long limb here and say: Sonny Styles.
I know, I know. But hear me out! Or imagine, if you will: Isaiah Simmons, only better. That is my thought process here, as Simmons and Styles share similar skill sets, body types, and experience. And the former was taken eighth overall in the 2020 draft.
Simmons redshirted his first year at Clemson, Styles played sparingly. Simmons played safety for two seasons and averaged 65 tackles and 1.5 sacks per. Styles racked up 53 tackles and 2.5 sacks playing safety in 2023. In Simmons’ last year, he moved the linebacker and became a highly coveted NFL prospect. What position is Styles moving to this year? You guessed it...
On the size front, Simmons and Styles are nearly identical. Simmons is currently listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, while Styles is listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, but the latter will bulk up to play full-time linebacker. I could go on and on about the similarities, but my point in comparing the two is to remind people how freaking awesome Simmons was as a college linebacker — and then to say that I think Styles could experience a similar breakout this season. If he does (break out), well then we’re talking about an early first-round prospect.
I have not seen Styles’ name pop up in/on any early 2025 mocks, so that is why I said that I am going out on a limb... But the freaky unicorn skillset is there. And the NFL loves freaky (theoretical) unicorns.
Gene’s Take
The 2024 NFL Draft saw Ohio State’s fewest players selected in 11 years. The Buckeyes’ draft class consisted of just four guys, led by Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall, followed by Mike Hall Jr. in the second round and Cade Stover and Tommy Eichenberg in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
As Josh touched on, the reason for a smaller-than-normal class was largely the result of the vast majority of Ohio State’s draft-eligible players deciding to run it back for another year in Columbus. Now that NIL opportunities exist at the college level, it is much easier for guys to justify playing another season at the prep level with hopes of increasing their stock for the following year. In the Buckeyes’ case, there are more than a handful of guys who fit that description.
Take a look at the way-too-early mocks, and it's clear that there is no real consensus this far out about what even the top of the first round is going to look like. Guys like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and LSU’s Harold Perkins generally find their names towards the top of the list, but there aren’t too many sure-fire top picks at this stage in the process. Among the Buckeyes who will enter their names into the 2025 NFL Draft, there is even less certainty.
Ohio State’s top eligible talents find their names all over the board. Some mocks have Ohio State seeing three players taken in the top-15 picks, while others don't have a single Buckeye selected until the latter half of the first round. Even the top player from OSU isn’t set in stone, with seemingly a different name leading the pack depending on who you ask.
For me, I think there are about five players — maybe more — that can earn first round NFL Draft grades with a productive season in 2024. On offense, Emeka Egbuka would appear to have the best shot as yet another Brian Hartline-developed talent to be selected early, while an expectedly-strong Ohio State defense could see guys like J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and Denzel Burke work their way into the first round, among others. If running backs were viewed more highly by the NFL, or if a team need exists, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins will rank at the top of their position group as well.
Personally, I imagine Ohio State’ defense is going to outplay its offense in 2024. I do think Egbuka will be another first round receiver for the Buckeyes, but I don't think he will be the first name called for Ryan Day’s group. Instead, I’m going to go a little bit out on a limb and choose Tuimoloau as Ohio State’s top draftee in 2025.
Now, “going out on a limb,” for a five-star defensive lineman who was the No. 4 overall player in his recruiting class certainly isn’t the longest long shot in the world, and NFL GM’s will likely value Tuimoloau for his physical traits alone, but I still think we will need to see a lot more from the Washington native this season if he is going to play his way into an early first rounder. That doesn’t mean he needs to post 16.5-sacks a la Chase Young in 2019, but he would probably need to surpass his career-high of five sacks from this past season in order to be labeled a truly elite prospect.
That being said, Tuimoloau has been an incredibly solid and dependable player for Ohio State, more so in the Zach Harrison mold than in Young or a Bosa. In his three seasons in Columbus, Tuimoloau has posted 83 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 12 sacks while also adding a pair of interceptions — one of which he returned for a TD against Penn State in 2022 — and seven pass breakups. The defensive end hasn’t been up there with the elite pass rushers, but he has been tremendous in controlling the run game and has seemed to always play his best in the fourth quarter when the team needs him most.
Tuimoloau moves very well for a guy listed at 6-foot-5 and 269 pounds, and has shown impressive stamina given his fourth quarter heroics, especially given Larry Johnson’s puzzling decision to basically never rotate his defensive line in 2024 — but that is neither here nor there. There is value in guys like Harrison and Tuimoloau, but if you are going to be a high first-round defensive end taken in the NFL Draft, I do still think those sack totals will have to go up at least a little bit in 2024. If he could reach double-digit sacks, a lofty goal given his career-high is currently half of that, I could see Tuimoloau being a top-10 pick in 2025.
Among the few 2025 mocks I have looked at, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has been the most kind to the Buckeyes. He too has Tuimoloau as the first Ohio State player off the board at No. 5, followed by Denzel Burke (my other top choice for this exercise) at No. 8 and Emeka Egbuka at No. 14. Wilson has seven total Buckeyes going in his first round, with Donovan Jackson (16), Tyleik Williams (17), Jack Sawyer (28) and Quinshon Judkins (32) also making his first round mock.
Continue reading...
