Younger Buckeyes examine draft options
Holmes probably is gone; Youboty, Whitner are iffy
Monday, December 26, 2005
Ken Gordon and Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Should I stay or should I go? For some, like Ohio State receiver Santonio Holmes, it’s pretty clear. For others, like safety Donte Whitner, it’s a knotty dilemma. It’s that time of year, anyway. As the Buckeyes prepare for their Jan. 2 date with Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, thoughts already are turning to the 2006 season.
No matter what, OSU’s stellar defense will take a hard hit. Seven senior starters will be lost.
But if the seniors are joined by two underclassmen, Whitner and cornerback Ashton Youboty, the Buckeyes could be looking at scorched earth. They would return only two starters and have to replace their entire back seven.
So, no pressure, Donte and Ashton, but what will it be?
"I’m not leaning one way or the other," Whitner said. "Right now, I just want to send the seniors out of here and make a decision after the bowl game."
Both Whitner and Youboty have filed with the NFL to help determine their potential draft status. The league has an advisory board that gives underclassmen feedback on where they might be drafted if they come out.
"You’re just curious about what they think about you; it’s something I think everybody ought to take advantage of," Whitner said. "If the reports are very favorable, then you really have to think about what you’re going to do."
Youboty had similar sentiments.
"I just want to see what they have to say and then I’ll go from there," he said. "I know I have an opportunity and I am going to look into it, but I’m not really in a rush to get out of here."
On this topic, OSU coach Jim Tressel takes a wide-angle view. He could be protective of keeping his players as long as possible.
But when he recruited these guys, part of the sales pitch was how many players the Buckeyes send to the pros. So he can’t exactly turn around and try to bar the door if they’re ready to go.
"When they’re an underclassman, we talk about the fact that if they’re going to be a first-round draft choice, they probably need to consider (leaving), just from a business standpoint, if you will," Tressel said. "When you get that information back (from the NFL), then you can sit back and have some discussions."
He has lost only three early entry players in his previous four seasons at OSU: cornerback Derek Ross (taken in the third round by Dallas) and tight end Darnell Sanders (fourth, Cleveland) in the 2002 draft and cornerback Chris Gamble (first, Carolina) in 2004.
Tressel said he likes getting a feel for a player’s draft status.
"Sometimes, we’ve had some guys get some draft-status reports back that have motivated them," he said. "They say, ‘Oh my gosh, I thought I’d be better than that,’ and all the sudden, maybe you had seen a little downshift in the work ethic (prior to getting the report), and so I don’t think it’s a bad thing. The truth is always good."
If Holmes leaves, it certainly won’t devastate OSU’s offense: The Buckeyes will return seven starters even if he leaves, and the receiving corps is stocked with Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Roy Hall and a slew of promising younger players.
But, more to the point, Holmes is almost guaranteed to be a first-round pick, according to draft experts. It is not a particularly strong receiver class, and Holmes is considered one of the top two or three.
"Once the quarterback (Troy Smith) got into rhythm, Holmes put up some really nice numbers," draft analyst Jerry Jones said. "Everybody liked him at the beginning of the season, and he’s come out and done what was expected out of him.
"I don’t know how he turns down the first-round possibility."
OSU has had four receivers drafted in the first round since 1995: Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, David Boston and Michael Jenkins.
"That’s why I came here, to become a first-round draft pick, knowing the history of all the receivers that have made a legacy here and in the NFL," said Holmes, a Florida native. "I just really wanted to be part of that trend."
The only catch is Holmes said he wanted to be near the top of the first round.
"I don’t want to be (No.) 20, 25, 30," he said.
That might not be realistic. Jenkins, who is bigger than the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Holmes and more of a prototype NFL receiver, was "only" the 29 th overall pick of Atlanta.
But at least Holmes knows he’s a firstrounder. Youboty likely is a borderline choice between the first and second round, and Whitner is viewed more as a thirdround choice, Jones said.
"Youboty is getting some high marks," Jones said. "Whitner is a longer shot. He would probably benefit from staying. You don’t see too many safeties drafted high and he would be competing with some very good ones in the senior class."
Whitner agrees in principle with Tressel’s philosophy that first-rounders should consider leaving and others are better off staying.
But that’s easier said than done. Financial considerations are paramount, and even a third-round draft choice is looking at a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $1 million.
For those who didn’t grow up with much, that’s powerful incentive. "I kind of agree with (Tressel), he’s been around for a long time," Whitner said. "Some people have different situations and some people might just have to go. "It’s always good to have options, instead of somebody telling you that you have to return for your senior year. Having an option to go or to stay, that’s a good thing."
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