How Ohio State’s Top Draft Prospects Impressed at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

By Dan Hope on March 6, 2023 at 1:53 pm
C.J. Stroud
Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
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Of the 11 measurable categories that prospects are tested in at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ohio State players topped the charts in seven of them.

Dawand Jones measured in as the largest player at the combine in all five weigh-in categories – height (6’8 1/4”), weight (374), hand width (11 5/8”), arm length (36 3/8”) and wingspan (87 7/8”) – while Jaxon Smith-Njigba ran the fastest times among all participants in both the 20-yard shuttle (3.93 seconds) and 3-cone drill (6.57 seconds).

And those were far from the only impressive measurables and performances for Ohio State’s draft prospects who made the trip to Indianapolis.

While most of Ohio State’s combine participants only did partial workouts – Luke Wypler was the only Buckeye who participated in every drill at the combine, while Cameron Brown and Ronnie Hickman didn’t work out at all – it was a strong showing for Ohio State nonetheless as Buckeyes were among the biggest standouts on the field, in the weight room and in the weigh-ins.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba shows elite agility and receiving skill

Some may have forgotten how good Smith-Njigba was in 2021 after a hamstring injury ruined his 2022 season, but their memories should be refreshed after his performance at the combine. The former Ohio State wide receiver was a clear standout during pass-catching drills in Indianapolis. He ran crisp routes, exploded in and out of his breaks and caught every single pass thrown his way, demonstrating excellent body control to make multiple difficult grabs on off-target throws.

Smith-Njigba’s chart-topping numbers in the shuttle and 3-cone drills illustrate what makes him a special talent, as both of those drills test a player’s ability to change directions quickly. While he left his straight-line speed in question for the time being by opting not to run the 40-yard dash until Ohio State’s March 22 pro day, his change-of-direction quickness is what makes him so tough to cover, and his combine numbers prove just how elite his agility is.

C.J. Stroud wows in throwing session

Stroud didn’t do any drills other than position drills at the combine, but he didn’t need to. As a quarterback, Stroud’s combine was always going to be judged on how well he threw the ball, and he dazzled talent evaluators with his performance as a passer.

While Stroud already had a strong case for being the best passer in this year’s draft based on his two years of play at Ohio State, standing out in passing drills alongside the rest of the class’ top quarterbacks (though Alabama’s Bryce Young did not throw at the combine) bolstered his argument for being the top quarterback and potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Athleticism remains the lingering question for Stroud after he opted not to run the 40 or do any other athletic testing in Indianapolis, but he’ll look to answer those questions at pro day.

RELATED C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Excel in NFL Scouting Combine Throwing Session

Paris Johnson Jr. looks like a prototype left tackle

From the weigh-ins to his on-field workout to the weight room, Johnson checked every box as he proved he has the size, athleticism and strength to be an elite NFL offensive tackle.

Johnson measured in at 6’6 3/8” and 313 pounds with the third-longest arms among all combine participants (36 1/8”) and an 85 1/8” wingspan. Length is arguably the most important physical measurement for an offensive tackle, and the combine proved Johnson has that in spades along with a prototypical combination of height and weight for a left tackle.

He followed that up by standing out in position drills on the field, where he looked like the most fluid mover of all offensive linemen who participated. Like Stroud and Smith-Njigba, Johnson didn’t run the 40 in Indianapolis, but the explosiveness and quickness he showed in offensive line drills left little doubt he is an elite athlete for his position.

He followed that up Monday morning by lifting 225 pounds 29 times in the bench press, showing he has plenty of strength to go along with that athleticism. Considering linemen with shorter arms typically put up bigger numbers on the bench, Johnson was rightfully jubilant after posting a number that will likely rank among the better performances at this year’s combine. (Full results for offensive linemen from the bench press had not yet been released as of early afternoon Monday.)

Dawand Jones can move with his rare size

It’s no surprise that Jones was the combine’s largest man, but that doesn’t make his measurables any less eye-popping. Per MockDraftable, his height, weight, hand width, arm length and wingspan all rank in the top 10 among all combine participants since 1999. His wingspan is the second-longest at the combine in the last 25 years, while his hands are the fourth-largest in that same span.

Since Jones’ gargantuan dimensions were already well-known before the combine, though, the most important task for Jones in Indianapolis was to show he could move well even with all of that size. He did so during his on-field workout at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

His 5.35-second 40-yard dash won’t make him money, but it won’t cost him either considering his size – and he gets some credit just for running it when so many of Ohio State’s other draft prospects didn’t. In position drills, he wouldn’t be mistaken for Johnson athletically, yet he didn’t look out of place running through movement drills alongside a bevy of other NFL offensive line prospects who are much smaller than he is.

A well-rounded performance for Luke Wypler

Luke Wypler had a fitting combine performance for a player who was a rock-solid anchor of Ohio State’s offensive line for the past two seasons yet rarely drew headlines as he was overshadowed by his more highly touted teammates.

While Wypler may not have stood out in any one area as much as Ohio State’s other offensive players at the combine did, he had the most complete combine of any Buckeye as he participated in every single drill.

He had one of the cleanest workouts among offensive linemen in position drills. His 40-yard dash time of 5.14 seconds ranked 15th among all offensive linemen and was the best time among prospects listed as centers by NFL.com. More importantly for an offensive lineman, he showed great lateral agility and ability to move in small spaces by running the third-best 20-yard shuttle time (4.53 seconds) and eighth-best 3-cone drill time (7.64) among offensive linemen. Like Johnson, Wypler also put up 29 reps on the bench press.

He outperformed Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz, his top competitor to be the first center drafted, in every drill in which they both participated. His all-around performance earned him a place on NFL.com’s All-Combine team along with Stroud and Smith-Njigba.

Zach Harrison shows length and strength

Harrison didn’t participate in any on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, limiting his opportunity to improve his draft stock in Indianapolis. While he was expected to be among the top-performing defensive ends in the 40-yard dash and other athletic testing, he opted to wait until Ohio State’s pro day to do those drills after suffering a minor hamstring injury last week.

Still, Harrison gave a glimpse of why he’s an intriguing prospect with his weigh-in and his bench press. Like offensive tackles, length is a trait NFL scouts look for when evaluating defensive ends, and Harrison checked in with the second-longest arms among all combine participants (36 1/4”) behind only Jones and just ahead of Johnson. Like Johnson, Harrison paired that length with an impressive lifting performance as he put up 25 reps in the bench press.

If Harrison can get healthy and pair those numbers with an impressive on-field workout on March 22, he still has a chance to make a big move up draft boards.

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