Fun landing spots for some of Ohio State’s NFL Draft prospects
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
These aren’t necessarily the best landing spots for some Buckeyes heading to the NFL, but they certainly would be entertaining.
Now that the college basketball season has wrapped up, attention for a lot of sports fans will now turn toward the
NFL Draft, which will be held in Green Bay in a few weeks. Over three days in Wisconsin, college football players eligible for the NFL Draft will find out where their professional careers will begin.
Since everyone watching is a certified draft analyst, we’ll know immediately which picks are going to be home runs, and which picks are going to be busts.
Ohio State will hear plenty of players from this year’s team selected over the seven rounds of the draft later this month. With so many players in this year’s draft class, there are plenty of picks that will make sense because they fill an immediate need, or they are a perfect fit for what a team is trying to build. I’m not going to go quite that deep today. Instead, I’m going to try and have a little fun with some player/team matchups.
What I have been looking for when it comes to some of what I came up with today is fun fits because maybe a player is from close and been a fan. Or it could be a situation where (x team) always seems to draft a Buckeye who ends up hurting <rival team>.
Who knows, my criteria isn’t all that strict so maybe I just feel like there are certain players who work with some teams better for marketing opportunities. In the end, I’m just trying to have a few laughs before we all get back to our super serious mock drafts.
Emeka Egbuka - Seattle Seahawks
Defensive backs in the NFC West would be on notice if the Ohio State wide receiver could join up with former teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle. The
Seahawks certainly will be looking for some depth at receiver after both D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett won’t return to the team in 2025. Just look at what new Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold did with receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison last season. Smith-Njigba and Egbuka would have a similar feel.
Another reason why Egbuka to the Seahawks makes a lot of sense is because Egbuka is from the state of Washington. Who knows just exactly how competitive Seattle is going to be when it comes to contending for the playoffs since they’ll have a new quarterback in a NFC West division that is going through a lot of change.
You could tell me the Seahawks could either win the division or finish last and I would think there is equal chance of either happening. No matter how the team plays, at least they’ll have a local product that could turn into a star with the team.
TreVeyon Henderson - Dallas Cowboys
A lot of people won’t be happy with this, but it feels like TreVeyon Henderson and the
Dallas Cowboys are a perfect fit. The Cowboys didn’t have much of a rushing threat last year after Tony Pollard moved on to Tennessee, and it’s obvious Ezekiel Elliott’s best years in the NFL are behind him.
Dallas has invested a lot of money in Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, so they’ll have to fill some holes with cheaper options. Running back is one of those areas where rookies can step in and have an immediate impact since shelf life at the position is so short.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Jerry Jones probably had a perfect seat at the
Cotton Bowl in January to watch TreVeyon Henderson break a 75-yard touchdown right before halftime. I could just imagine Jones telling anyone he employs that is working on the draft that Henderson needs to be at the top of the team’s board because of his ability to break big plays. If we are being honest, Dallas drafting Henderson would be one of the best picks the team has made in years.
Quinshon Judkins - New Orleans Saints
New Orleans and Alvin Kamara can’t have too much time left together. If the Saints were looking to find a back to replace Kamara, a good option would be Quinshon Judkins. The Saints have been a mess over the last few years, but things are looking up with the hiring of new head coach Kellen Moore.
Not saying Judkins is Saquon Barkley, but Moore could try and use Judkins like a Barkley-type back if the Saints were to draft the Buckeye running back.
Jack Sawyer - Cincinnati Bengals
When one Buckeye retires, another Buckeye replaces him. Recently Sam Hubbard announced he is retiring. What better way to pay tribute to Hubbard than to draft another Ohio State defensive end to take his roster spot? Hubbard had a legendary fumble recovery in a big game with the Bengals, just like Sawyer had a touchdown late in a game that Buckeye fans won’t forget about any time soon.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
It’s not just the Hubbard connection that I think Sawyer would be a perfect fit in Cincinnati. The Bengals and defensive end Trey Hendrickson obviously are having issues with a contract extension, so Cincinnati needs to have a contingency plan in place if the sides aren’t able to agree on a deal. Drafting Sawyer would give the Pickerington native time to get his feet under him at the NFL before possibly stepping into Hendrickson’s role next year.
Will Howard - Cleveland Browns (should)
Will Howard - Pittsburgh Steelers (more realistic)
By no means am I saying the
Cleveland Browns should take Will Howard with the second overall pick. Early in the second round might still be a little too early for Howard. Maybe later in the second round or definitely in the third round. Cleveland just needs bodies at quarterback, so even if they took a quarterback at the top of the first round, go ahead and take another as a backup since the Browns have to deal with the insanely awful contract they gave to Deshaun Watson.
What is more likely to happen is the
Pittsburgh Steelers will draft Howard and he’ll go on to dominate Cleveland for at least a decade. A pairing with the Steelers makes even more sense because Howard was actually born in Pennsylvania and grew up dreaming about going to Penn State. After Howard became a hero in just one year in Ohio, it would be fitting if he turned into an enemy because he was drafted by the Steelers and went on to burn the Browns annually.
Josh Simmons - Kansas City Chiefs
It became obvious in the
Super Bowl that Patrick Mahomes needs Kansas City to update his offensive line if the Chiefs want to have any chance at continuing to regularly appear in Super Bowls. Josh Simmons would make a tremendous addition to the Kansas City offensive line.
Just imagine how lucky Simmons would be going from playing on an offensive line that eventually went on to win a national title, then getting drafted to play on Patrick Mahomes’ offensive line. After dealing with suffering a knee injury midway through the 2024 season, Simmons deserves that kind of luck.
J.T. Tuimoloau - Las Vegas Raiders
Since I’m already sending Emeka Egbuka to Seattle, I can’t also send J.T. Tuimoloau to the Seahawks. Instead, I actually think Tuimoloau would be a better fit in Las Vegas. Just imagine a Raiders defensive line with Maxx Crosby on one side, while Tuimoloau lines up on the other.
In a way it’s like at Ohio State except instead of Sawyer you have a perennial NFL All-Pro. Don’t lie, you know Tuimoloau would look good in the silver and black.
Cody Simon - New England Patriots
New Patriots head coach is going to draft Cody Simon because he can’t stop thinking of John Simon when he hears there is a Buckeye with the last name Simon. The more people think about it, the more the move makes sense. Cody Simon will probably end up playing for 10 years with the Patriots and winning a Super Bowl or two just because Vrabel kept it simple since he knows you can never go wrong drafting a Buckeye.
Continue reading...