INDIANAPOLIS – As Ohio State’s 2018 season was in its final weeks, Michael Jordan was still conflicted about whether he should enter the 2019 NFL draft.
Jordan knew it would be difficult to leave Ohio State, and new head coach Ryan Day was trying to sell him on staying for his senior year, telling him that the Buckeyes would move him back to his more natural position of left guard after he slid over for a year to play center.
After flying home from the Rose Bowl and sitting down for extensive talks with his parents, however, Jordan decided that the time was right for him to pursue his goal of playing professionally.
“First and foremost, I love my brothers so much. Making that decision was so hard, but at the end of the day, it’s always been my dream to play in the NFL,” Jordan said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “And I feel like since I started for 41 consecutive games, I had a lot of experience under my belt. I felt confident in myself enough to go to the next level.”
The first Ohio State offensive lineman to start every game as a true freshman since Orlando Pace in 1994 – and now, the first Ohio State offensive lineman to go to the NFL after just three years since Pace – Jordan never missed a game in his Buckeye career, starting for two years at left guard before moving to center for his junior year, giving him far more experience than the typical offensive lineman that goes pro after just three years.
While Jordan said prior to the Rose Bowl that he would “most definitely” prefer to play guard if he returned to Ohio State for his senior season, and believes he will play that position in the NFL, he is glad now that he has a year of experience playing center under his belt. In addition to improving the versatility that he can bring to the next level, it also gave him a new perspective on being an interior offensive lineman.
“They’re two different positions. At guard, you just listen to everybody talk and then you just do it. At center, you’re actually telling that person what to do,” Jordan said. “So having to see both different perspectives, really eye-opening for me.”
Projected to be selected in the middle rounds of April’s NFL draft, Jordan could have opted to return to Ohio State for one more year at guard in hopes of bolstering his draft stock. But with three years of collegiate starting experience already under his belt, staying at Ohio State for another season would have only helped him so much.
Although Day and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa wanted Jordan to stay for one more year, he said they were supportive of his decision.
“Of course they tried to sway me, but at the end of the day Coach Day, Coach Stud, they care about me, too. More than just football,” Jordan said. “So they said you got to do what’s best for you. If you feel ready, you go ahead and do it. So I thank those guys for that.”
“Making that decision was so hard, but at the end of the day, it’s always been my dream to play in the NFL.”– Michael Jordan on his decision to leave Ohio State
Jordan believes that what he learned from Studrawa, who had an All-American center in each of Jordan’s three years at Ohio State (Pat Elflein and Billy Price, who are both now starting centers in the NFL, followed by Jordan), and from being a Buckeye will set him up to achieve success at the next level.
“The biggest thing I learned is toughness,” Jordan said. “Ohio State offensive line, no matter who’s in the room, you have to be tough. And if you’re not tough, we’ll make you tough.”
Regardless of how his career plays out in the NFL, though, the one thing Jordan is confident he will always have from his time at Ohio State is the brotherhood he built with his teammates.
“It’s a bond that’s unbreakable,” Jordan said. “The rest of my life, I’ll always have that connection. And I know whenever I need someone, I got people that have my back.”
Jordan will look to improve his draft stock on Friday when he participates in on-field drills with the rest of the offensive linemen at the combine. After putting up 19 repetitions in the bench press on Thursday – though he said he would have had 22 if not for three reps that were deducted – Jordan expects to put his athleticism on display on Friday.
“I want (NFL scouts) to know that I’m fast off the ball,” Jordan said. “I want them to know that I’m athletic, strong, powerful.”
Fellow Ohio State offensive lineman Isaiah Prince will also participate in on-field drills on Friday, in the same workout group as Jordan, while running back Mike Weber will also take to the field for his on-field workout later in the day.
Stay tuned with Eleven Warriors for continuing coverage from the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
