NFL Personnel Executive Believes Ohio State's Defensive Line is Overrated

By D.J. Byrnes on September 4, 2014 at 2:21 pm
Ohio State's defensive line v. Michigan, 2013 [Walt Keys, ElevenWarriors.com]
135 Comments

Ohio State's defensive line has a chance to go down as one of the greatest in not only Ohio State history, but college football history as well. Entering the season, Urban Meyer raved about the potential of the group.

And why not? Noah Spence and Michael Bennett will more-than-likely be taken in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. Joey Bosa could be the next J.J. Watt, and Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt are two five-star recruits mixing it up on the inside. 

And that's just scraping the surface.

But at least one (anonymous, natch) "NFL personnel executive" believes Ohio State's defensive line is "overrated," according to an NFL.com article.  While he admits it's "a solid group," he contends it features "no elite talent."

Granted, Ohio State gave up 370 rushing yards to Navy... but that was pretty much the entirety of their offense. The Midshipmen, as you may have heard, also run that danged triple-option.

Then there's the fact the defensive line isn't 100% responsible for stopping the run.

If you believe Ohio State's defensive line is "overrated," fine. That's an ambiguous term with no real meaning. But to say there's no elite talent? That's a stretch I'm not sure the Grand Canyon could accommodate. 

135 Comments
View 135 Comments