Every year there is an NFL Draft. And every year it happens. Two teams get together and swap draft picks. The aftermath always leaves me baffled as it inevitably appears that one of the teams gave up too much...or too little.
Did you know that there is a formula that many of the teams use to determine the "value" of the trade? Well, there is and an NFL Hall of Fame coach came up with it. Jimmy Johnson devised a chart imparting value to each pick.
This prompted the question "Which year did Ohio State have its best draft?" The easy route would be to go with 2014 since it had the most picks, 14. However, the number of selections doesn't always equate to best.
For example, which draft is better? A year in which all eight players selected go in the first round, or a year that produces 16 drafted players in round 3 or later?
Instead of using opinion to answer this question, let's use Johnson's ground breaking formula to determine which year Ohio State performed the best in the NFL Draft. Note, if a player is drafted after pick No. 224 he receives zero points.
5. 2019 – 4,529.8 Points
Powered by Nick Bosa and Dwayne Haskins, this group of nine comes in as the fifth best in Ohio State history. Bosa became the second Buckeye to ever get called with the No. 2 overall pick.
Haskins was the second Ohio State quarterback selected in the first round. Bosa and Haskins accounted for 3,650 of this draft class' 4,529.8 points.
| YEAR | PICKS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 14 | 3238.6 |
| 1971 | 13 | 4466.4 |
| 1975 | 13 | 3501.0 |
| 2016 | 12 | 8479.5 |
| 1957 | 11 | 2552.0 |
| 1976 | 11 | 1873.6 |
4. 1974 – 4,590.2 Points
John Hicks, Rick Middleton and Randy Gradishar went in the first round. The Giants took Hicks third overall and the talented linebackers went back-to-back with selections 13 and 14. Morris Bradshaw, Greg Hare and Dan Scott are the other players to add points to this class.
Jim Kregel and Vic Koegel did not add to this group because they were drafted after pick number 224.
3. 2006 – 5,906.0 Points
Five Buckeyes went in the first 29 picks. A.J. Hawk and Donte Whitner were Top 10 picks. Bobby Carpenter and Santonio Holmes were Top 25. Nick Mangold was Top 30. The class was loaded.
In the third round Ashton Youboty and Anthony Schlegel were called. The picks were finished in the fourth with Nate Salley and Rob Sims coming off of the board.
With all of this talent leaving for the NFL, what did the Buckeyes do in the 2006 season? That's right, the team went undefeated throughout the regular season and played for a national championship. Man, we are spoiled.
2. 1997 – 6,144.8 Points
The '97 draft class made the most with the least. Of the five teams in the Top 5, this group's seven selections is the fewest of the four other teams making the list. How did this happen?
Johnson's draft value chart is top heavy. The Rams took Orlando Pace with the No. 1 overall pick and Shawn Springs went to Seattle at No. 3. Early in the second round, the Cardinals selected Rob Kelly to help solidify this class' spot in the rankings.
The other players drafted were Ty Howard, Mike Vrabel, Nicky Sualua and Matt Finkes.
1. 2016 – 8,479.5 Points
Ten years after the impressive showing by the 2006 class, this group blew the doors off of the draft. Like '06, this class also had five first round selections. The difference is that this group had all five players off the board within the first 20 picks.
Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott went back-to-back with picks No. 3 and No. 4. Eli Apple went tenth, Taylor Decker sixteenth and Darron Lee was twentieth.
As remarkable as the 7,150 first round points are, this class should have more. Michael Thomas should have been the sixth Buckeye taken in the first round. However, the generational talent wasn't drafted until the second round and the 47th overall pick. Unreal.
In all, 12 Ohio State players were selected and all 12 contribute to the 8,479.5 points accumulated by this impressive class.
Bonus
Using Dan Hope's 2020 Mock NFL Draft this year's draft class is expected to have 10 players get selected and earn 6197.4 points. That is a strong enough showing to put this group at second for the all-time list. Edging out 1997 by just over 52 points.
We'll see how clear Dan's crystal ball is on Monday morning.
#alonewitheverybody
