Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
You’re Nuts: What 2023 NFL Draft prospect are you excited to see Ohio State play this year?
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 Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
We all know that Ohio State is loaded with talent on both sides of the football. In most years, the Buckeyes usually produce the highest number of players drafted in the Big Ten, and Ohio State is often near the top annually for most players selected from any college football team around the country. Since 2000, the Buckeyes have seen 157 players selected in the NFL Draft, with 34 of those picks coming in the first round.
While many Ohio State fans are excited to watch C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Paris Johnson Jr. this year as they look to cement their status as first round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, we can’t forget that the Buckeyes will be taking on plenty of players that will be eligible for the draft that will want to use a big performance against Ohio State to impress NFL scouts. A perfect example of this from previous years is Khalil Mack. Even though plenty of people knew the Buffalo defensive end was going to be a star heading into the season opener against the Buckeyes, Mack sent his draft stock soaring even higher with a huge performance in Columbus.
There are different ways you can look at games when Ohio State is taking on a team with NFL Draft prospects. Either you can see this as a chance to get an early look at a player that your favorite NFL team might be selecting in the next draft, if you are an NFL fan. There is also a possibility you can see one of Ohio State’s own draft prospects matching up with the highly touted draft prospect from an opponent. Or, you could just simply want to see the Buckeyes shutdown a possible top draft pick, showing some of the holes still in their game.
Today’s question: What 2023 NFL Draft prospect are you excited to see Ohio State play this year?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Joey Porter Jr. - Penn State
For starters, I’m sure Browns and Bengals fans will agree with this pick since Joey Porter Sr. was a thorn in the side of both teams when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s probably already a given that the younger Porter will end up being drafted by the Steelers next April and torture Cleveland and Cincinnati for the next decade.
My reasoning for wanting to see Porter against the Buckeyes in the fall is because I want to see how he is able to handle Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and the rest of the Ohio State wide receivers. Somehow the Nittany Lions have found a way to keep the Ohio State offense in check in recent years, and if they are able to do it again in October, a huge reason for it will be because of the play of Porter in the secondary.
Personally, I hope that Smith-Njigba and the rest of the Buckeye receivers go off in State College, putting up huge numbers on Porter. Is that mean? It absolutely is, but there’s a reason I call myself a “big ball of hate” in my Twitter bio. I look at Penn State the same way I look at the Red Sox. I just want to see both destroyed as much as possible. It’s nothing personal against Porter, I was hating Penn State long before he committed to their football program.
In all seriousness, Porter is likely going to go on to be a good pro in the NFL. He not only has talent, he also can lean on his father for advice and what to expect at the next level. I’m just hoping he has his own personal fright night a couple days before Halloween. In the end, we are the ones getting the treat since we’ll get to see three possible first round picks going at it, as C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will try and break down Porter on the road.
Meredith’s answer: Peter Skoronski - Northwestern
The 2023 quarterback class is poised to be a good one (especially after whatever this nonsense was we saw this year), and the Buckeyes may even find themselves facing off against one of the other quarterbacks, besides C.J. Stroud, who are part of this elite group at some point in the postseason.
However, the player I’m excited to see is a Big Ten West foe who Ohio State will travel to see in November, when the Buckeyes head to Evanston to face Northwestern.
Yes, that player is Peter Skoronski, who has followed in Rashawn Slater’s massive shoes at left tackle for the Wildcats. As Northwestern doesn’t have what one might classify as a prolific offense, Skoronski’s strengths might fall under the radar in the average game, but he’s emerged after his sophomore season as one of the Big Ten’s best pass protectors. As an aside, it doesn’t hurt that Skoronski’s grandfather was a five-time NFL Champion with the Green Bay Packers.
I’m looking forward to watching Skorinski, who will be facing off directly against Ohio State’s always formidable defensive line generally and defensive end Zach Harrison, specifically. Harrison opted to come back for his senior season rather than enter the 2022 NFL Draft, which happened to feature almost as many outstanding defensive linemen as it did receivers. Harrison will be looking to improve his draft stock, and film against an almost assured future NFL offensive lineman can help make that case.
Skoronski is projected to go in the first round in a similar spot to Slater, with many way-too-early mock drafts placing him just outside the top-10.
Continue reading...
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 Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
We all know that Ohio State is loaded with talent on both sides of the football. In most years, the Buckeyes usually produce the highest number of players drafted in the Big Ten, and Ohio State is often near the top annually for most players selected from any college football team around the country. Since 2000, the Buckeyes have seen 157 players selected in the NFL Draft, with 34 of those picks coming in the first round.
While many Ohio State fans are excited to watch C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Paris Johnson Jr. this year as they look to cement their status as first round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, we can’t forget that the Buckeyes will be taking on plenty of players that will be eligible for the draft that will want to use a big performance against Ohio State to impress NFL scouts. A perfect example of this from previous years is Khalil Mack. Even though plenty of people knew the Buffalo defensive end was going to be a star heading into the season opener against the Buckeyes, Mack sent his draft stock soaring even higher with a huge performance in Columbus.
There are different ways you can look at games when Ohio State is taking on a team with NFL Draft prospects. Either you can see this as a chance to get an early look at a player that your favorite NFL team might be selecting in the next draft, if you are an NFL fan. There is also a possibility you can see one of Ohio State’s own draft prospects matching up with the highly touted draft prospect from an opponent. Or, you could just simply want to see the Buckeyes shutdown a possible top draft pick, showing some of the holes still in their game.
Today’s question: What 2023 NFL Draft prospect are you excited to see Ohio State play this year?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Joey Porter Jr. - Penn State
For starters, I’m sure Browns and Bengals fans will agree with this pick since Joey Porter Sr. was a thorn in the side of both teams when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s probably already a given that the younger Porter will end up being drafted by the Steelers next April and torture Cleveland and Cincinnati for the next decade.
My reasoning for wanting to see Porter against the Buckeyes in the fall is because I want to see how he is able to handle Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and the rest of the Ohio State wide receivers. Somehow the Nittany Lions have found a way to keep the Ohio State offense in check in recent years, and if they are able to do it again in October, a huge reason for it will be because of the play of Porter in the secondary.
Personally, I hope that Smith-Njigba and the rest of the Buckeye receivers go off in State College, putting up huge numbers on Porter. Is that mean? It absolutely is, but there’s a reason I call myself a “big ball of hate” in my Twitter bio. I look at Penn State the same way I look at the Red Sox. I just want to see both destroyed as much as possible. It’s nothing personal against Porter, I was hating Penn State long before he committed to their football program.
In all seriousness, Porter is likely going to go on to be a good pro in the NFL. He not only has talent, he also can lean on his father for advice and what to expect at the next level. I’m just hoping he has his own personal fright night a couple days before Halloween. In the end, we are the ones getting the treat since we’ll get to see three possible first round picks going at it, as C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will try and break down Porter on the road.
Meredith’s answer: Peter Skoronski - Northwestern
The 2023 quarterback class is poised to be a good one (especially after whatever this nonsense was we saw this year), and the Buckeyes may even find themselves facing off against one of the other quarterbacks, besides C.J. Stroud, who are part of this elite group at some point in the postseason.
However, the player I’m excited to see is a Big Ten West foe who Ohio State will travel to see in November, when the Buckeyes head to Evanston to face Northwestern.
Yes, that player is Peter Skoronski, who has followed in Rashawn Slater’s massive shoes at left tackle for the Wildcats. As Northwestern doesn’t have what one might classify as a prolific offense, Skoronski’s strengths might fall under the radar in the average game, but he’s emerged after his sophomore season as one of the Big Ten’s best pass protectors. As an aside, it doesn’t hurt that Skoronski’s grandfather was a five-time NFL Champion with the Green Bay Packers.
I’m looking forward to watching Skorinski, who will be facing off directly against Ohio State’s always formidable defensive line generally and defensive end Zach Harrison, specifically. Harrison opted to come back for his senior season rather than enter the 2022 NFL Draft, which happened to feature almost as many outstanding defensive linemen as it did receivers. Harrison will be looking to improve his draft stock, and film against an almost assured future NFL offensive lineman can help make that case.
Skoronski is projected to go in the first round in a similar spot to Slater, with many way-too-early mock drafts placing him just outside the top-10.
Continue reading...