STROUD TO STOVER
Cade Stover is selected 123rd overall in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Texans, reuniting him with C.J. Stroud.
For more than a dozen members of last year’s Ohio State football team, the wait to find out if and when they will be selected in this year’s NFL draft is almost over.
The 2021 NFL draft begins next Thursday, when former Buckeye quarterback Justin Fields should be one of the top players selected. There's still no consensus on where exactly Fields will be selected, though most projections either have the San Francisco 49ers selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick or someone else drafting him in the top 10.
As for the rest of Ohio State’s draft prospects, it’s likely they will have to wait until at least the second day of the draft to hear their names called, as Fields is the only Buckeye widely projected as a first-round pick this year. But there are no shortage of other Buckeyes projected to hear their names called between the second and seventh rounds – though all of their projections vary quite widely, too.
With that in mind, it’s time to take another look at where Fields and 10 of Ohio State’s other NFL draft prospects are forecasted to go in mock drafts around the Web as the final week of pre-draft speculation begins.
The 12 projections we’ve surveyed for this mock draft roundup, all of which have been updated in the last week and include at least two rounds:
- CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson (7 rounds)
- CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso (3 rounds)
- CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards (2 rounds)
- Draft Tek (7 Rounds)
- EDSFootball’s Kevin Hansen (5 rounds)
- ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (3 rounds)
- Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson (4 rounds)
- Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer (7 rounds)
- Tankathon (3 rounds)
- The Athletic’s Dane Brugler (7 rounds)
- The Draft Network’s Benjamin Solak (3 rounds)
- The Draft Network’s Trevor Sikkema (3 rounds)
Additionally, we’ve included each player’s ranking (except for those not ranked in the top 300) on the consensus NFL draft big board, compiled by The Athletic’s Arif Hasan, as a gauge for where each Ohio State prospect is ranked by the average NFL draft analyst.
QB Justin Fields
Draft Tek: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Hodgkinson: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Kiper: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Sikkema: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Solak: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Trapasso: Round 1, No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Edwards: Round 1, No. 6 overall, Denver Broncos
Hansen: Round 1, No. 6 overall, Denver Broncos
Wilson: Round 1, No. 7 overall, Detroit Lions
Brugler: Round 1, No. 9 overall, Denver Broncos
Iyer: Round 1, No. 9 overall, Denver Broncos
Tankathon: Round 1, No. 9 overall, Denver Broncos
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 5
Did the San Francisco 49ers trade up to the No. 3 overall pick to draft Fields? Exactly half of the 12 mock drafts we included in this roundup project that they did. While there have been plenty of rumors to suggest the 49ers are targeting Alabama’s Mac Jones, many NFL draft writers (and personally, me too) still believe San Francisco will ultimately draft the more physically gifted Fields after traveling to Columbus to watch his second pro day last week.
If the 49ers don’t select Fields, how far will he fall? While you’ll occasionally see a mock draft that has Fields falling into the teens or even the twenties, none of these mock drafts have him falling past the Denver Broncos, who hold the No. 9 overall pick but could also trade up a few spots – as Edwards and Hansen both projected – to ensure they have the chance to select him if he falls out of the top five.
Other potential suitors to draft Fields, either where they’re currently picking or by trading up, could include the Atlanta Falcons (who hold the No. 4 overall pick), Detroit Lions (No. 7), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) and New England Patriots (No. 15). With one week to go until the draft, though, the 49ers and Broncos are the most popular projected landing spots.
G Wyatt Davis
Draft Tek: Round 1, No. 23 overall, New York Jets
Iyer: Round 2, No. 43 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Hodgkinson: Round 2, No. 47 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Sikkema: Round 2, No. 52 overall, Chicago Bears
Tankathon: Round 2, No. 52 overall, Chicago Bears
Edwards: Round 2, No. 58 overall, Baltimore Ravens
Hansen: Round 2, No. 61 overall, Buffalo Bills
Solak: Round 2, No. 64 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Trapasso: Round 3, No. 65 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Wilson: Round 3, No. 78 overall, Minnesota Vikings
McShay: Round 3, No. 86 overall, New York Jets
Brugler: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 55
Davis is the only other Buckeye to show up in the first round of any of the 12 mock drafts included here, and that projection is an outlier. While Draft Tek has the Jets selecting Davis with their second first-round pick, every other mock draft projects Davis to be a Day 2 draft pick, coming off the board in either Round 2 or Round 3.
Even though Davis was a unanimous All-American this past season, it appears he shouldn’t get his hopes up to be a first-round pick next Thursday. He can be confident, though, that he’ll get the call from the league at some point during the second day of the draft next Friday, as it would be a shock to see him fall any further the third round.
LB Baron Browning
Edwards: Round 2, No. 37 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Sikkema: Round 2, No. 40 overall, Denver Broncos
Hodgkinson: Round 2, No. 41 overall, Detroit Lions
Solak: Round 2, No. 46 overall, New England Patriots
Wilson: Round 2, No. 62 overall, Green Bay Packers
Tankathon: Round 2, No. 63 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Iyer: Round 3, No. 65 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Brugler: Round 3, No. 80 overall, Las Vegas Raiders
Draft Tek: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Hansen: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Trapasso: Round 3, No. 89 overall, Cleveland Browns
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 65
After an excellent pro day in which he demonstrated his elite athleticism at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Browning is projected to be selected as high as the early second round and showed up in all but one of these 12 mock drafts as either a second- or third-round pick.
With the versatility to potentially play multiple linebacker positions and be an edge rusher, Browning’s upside will likely entice a team to draft him in the early rounds even though he never quite became the dominant player he was expected to be at Ohio State as a five-star recruit.
LB Pete Werner
Trapasso: Round 2, No. 50 overall, Miami Dolphins
Solak: Round 2, No. 51 overall, Washington Football Team
Hodgkinson: Round 3, No. 70 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Sikkema: Round 3, No. 70 overall, Philadelphia Eagles
Iyer: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
McShay: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Tankathon: Round 3, No. 88 overall, Los Angeles Rams
Hansen: Round 3, No. 99 overall, Dallas Cowboys
Draft Tek: Round 3, No. 105 overall, New Orleans Saints
Brugler: Round 4, No. 106 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Wilson: Round 4, No. 136 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 77
Browning isn’t the only Ohio State linebacker expected to be selected on Day 2 of this year’s draft, as Werner – who also had an excellent pro day and was Ohio State’s leading tackler last season – is also projected to be a second- or third-round pick in many mock drafts. Two popular landing spots in the mock drafts we surveyed were the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, who could each potentially target Werner in the third round.
Whether Werner or Browning is selected first could be a matter of team preference, as they’re two different prospects; Werner is a more traditional linebacker who’s better in coverage, while Browning offers more upside as a pass-rusher. Either way, there’s a good chance both of them will get the call from the league in the top 100 picks.
Pete Werner is projected to be selected between the second and fourth rounds of the 2021 NFL draft.
C/G Josh Myers
Hodgkinson: Round 2, No. 63 overall, Kansas City Chiefs
Brugler: Round 3, No. 65 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tankathon: Round 3, No. 78 overall, Minnesota Vikings
Iyer: Round 3, No. 79 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Wilson: Round 3, No. 87 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Solak: Round 3, No. 101 overall, San Francisco 49ers
Hansen: Round 3, No. 103 overall, Los Angeles Rams
McShay: Round 3, No. 104 overall, Baltimore Ravens
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 107 overall, New York Jets
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 72
Another position where Ohio State could have two players selected on Day 2 of the draft is the interior offensive line, as a majority of the mock drafts we surveyed projected that Myers, like Davis, will also be chosen next Friday.
With projections that range from the second-to-last pick of the second round to the second pick of the fourth round, the third round looks like the sweet spot for Myers, who could potentially play either center or guard in the NFL depending on the need of the team who drafts him.
DT Tommy Togiai
Sikkema: Round 2, No. 44 overall, Dallas Cowboys
Iyer: Round 3, No. 80 overall, Las Vegas Raiders
Solak: Round 3, No. 80 overall, Las Vegas Raiders
Trapasso: Round 3, No. 80 overall, Las Vegas Raiders
Tankathon: Round 3, No. 92 overall, Green Bay Packers
Wilson: Round 3, No. 92 overall, Green Bay Packers
Hodgkinson: Round 3, No. 93 overall, Buffalo Bills
Hansen: Round 3, No. 97 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Brugler: Round 4, No. 118 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 132 overall, Cleveland Browns
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 79
While Sikkema generously projected that Togiai could be an early second-round pick, Togiai is another Buckeye who appears most likely to land in the third round, where he appears in more than half of our 12 included mock drafts.
Three teams show up multiple times in Togiai’s mock draft projections: the Raiders, Packers and Chargers, who could all be looking for a strong, explosive nose tackle like Togiai – who had an eye-popping 40 reps on the bench press at pro day – to beef up their interior defensive line.
CB Shaun Wade
Iyer: Round 3, No. 77 overall, Los Angeles Chargers
Hansen: Round 3, No. 86 overall, New York Jets
Tankathon: Round 3, No. 86 overall, New York Jets
Kiper: Round 3, No. 87 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Solak: Round 3, No. 101 overall, Detroit Lions
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 112 overall, Detroit Lions
Brugler: Round 5, No. 145 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Wilson: Round 5, No. 161 overall, Buffalo Bills
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 103
After an injury-plagued final season at Ohio State that left doubts about his ability to play outside cornerback at the next level, Wade appears to be on the fringe between being a late Day 2 draft pick or falling into Day 3. Five of the mock drafts we surveyed project that Wade will be selected in the third round, but none of them have him going higher than Round 3, while some have him falling to Round 4 or 5.
Two of the above mock drafts project that Wade will go to Detroit, where he’d be paired back up with former Ohio State teammate Jeff Okudah in the Lions’ secondary, while another two mock drafts have him going to the New York Jets. Whether he plays outside, in the slot or at safety at the next level could depend on what team drafts him, though his versatility to line up at multiple spots should increase his appeal as a mid-round pick.
RB Trey Sermon
Sikkema: Round 3, No. 87 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Brugler: Round 3, No. 105 overall, New Orleans Saints
Hansen: Round 4, No. 106 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Hodgkinson: Round 4, No. 112 overall, Detroit Lions
Wilson: Round 4, No. 130 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Iyer: Round 4, No. 133 overall, New Orleans Saints
Draft Tek: Round 4, No. 134 overall, Minnesota Vikings
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 104
Like Wade, Sermon appears to be right on the bubble between being a late pick on Friday or an early pick on Saturday. All seven mock drafts we found him in have the Ohio State running back being selected in either the third round or fourth round, with Round 4 being the most common projection.
Even though he’s one of just two Buckeyes in this year’s draft who didn’t play for Urban Meyer (along with Justin Fields), he’s the only one who more than one of these mock drafts predicted will join Meyer in Jacksonville. Another projected landing spot for Sermon in multiple mock drafts is the New Orleans Saints, who have had a history of drafting and signing Buckeyes in recent years.
DE Jonathon Cooper
Iyer: Round 4, No. 110 overall, Cleveland Browns
Brugler: Round 5, No. 170 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars
Wilson: Round 7, No. 229 overall, New Orleans Saints
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 199
Cooper isn’t likely to be selected before the final day of the draft, but Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer projects the Cleveland Browns could make him Cooper one of the first picks of the fourth round and keep him in his home state of Ohio. The Jaguars and Saints show up in his draft projections, too, which make sense given their Ohio State ties.
It would be a surprise if Cooper is drafted before Saturday, but it would also be a surprise if he isn’t drafted at all. A consensus big board ranking just inside the top 200 indicates Cooper could be viewed as a sixth-round talent.
LB Justin Hilliard
Hansen: Round 5, No. 153 overall, Detroit Lions
Wilson: Round 5, No. 165 overall, Indianapolis Colts
Iyer: Round 5, No. 168 overall, Minnesota Vikings
Brugler: Round 7, No. 251 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Consensus Big Board Ranking: No. 222
Even though he isn’t a consensus top-200 prospect in the 2021 draft class, Hilliard is projected as a fifth-round pick in three of the mock drafts we surveyed. Thanks to his excellent play in the final three games of the season and his strong showing at the Senior Bowl, Hilliard appears more likely than not to be selected in this year’s draft following a six-year Ohio State career in which he battled through several major injuries.
Hilliard has made it clear throughout the pre-draft process that he’s never lowered his expectations despite the setbacks he suffered as a Buckeye, and a fifth-round selection would be indicative that an NFL team still believes Hilliard’s best football is in front of him.
LB Tuf Borland
Draft Tek: Round 7, No. 257 overall, Cleveland Browns
Iyer: Round 7, No. 259 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Consensus Big Board Ranking: Not in top 300
Based on the four seven-round mock drafts we found, Borland appears to be as close to the bubble between being drafted and going undrafted as one can possibly be. Only two of those four mock drafts have Borland being selected, and both of them have Borland being selected in the draft’s final three picks – with Iyer tabbing him to be this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” as the very last player chosen.
With subpar speed and athleticism for an NFL linebacker, Borland probably won’t be drafted before the seventh round. He should at least get a shot to make a team as an undrafted free agent, though, with his ability to make plays in the box, experience on special teams and proven leadership as a three-time Ohio State captain.
Three other Ohio State draft prospects who could also potentially be selected in the late rounds are tight end Luke Farrell, punter Drue Chrisman and kicker Blake Haubeil. None of them were included in any of the mock drafts in this roundup, however, which suggests they’re most likely to be undrafted free agents.
