Skull Session: Matt Miller Ranks Ohio State’s First-Round Receivers Since 2022, Field Yates’ Latest Mock Draft Has Four Buckeyes in the Top Six Picks

By Chase Brown on March 26, 2026 at 4:55 am
Arvell Reese
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

All 32 NFL teams were at Ohio State's pro day on Wednesday.

That's pretty neat!

Have a good Thursday.

 SOMEONE COOKED HERE. This video from Ohio State’s creative team deserves its own section — they absolutely nailed it.

While we’re on the topic of Ohio State’s creative team, a special shoutout to friend of the program Danny Kraft, who’s back in Columbus as the Buckeyes’ associate director of creative. Danny’s mother, Nicole, is an OSU professor who taught what feels like half the Ohio State beat (including me!) how to be journalists.

Danny took a different path into graphic design — and he’s really, really good at it. He spent nearly four years with Ohio State’s creative team (October 2020 to June 2024), followed by a two-year stint with Maryland football. Now, he’s back where he started.

I’m looking forward to more work from Ohio State’s creative team under Joe Gemma, Ethan Miller, Danny and the rest of the group. Work like this!

 GOT WIDE RECEIVERS? ESPN’s Matt Miller wrote a fun article this week ranking Ohio State’s first-round receivers since 2022 as NFL draft prospects. That’s kind of mouthful. Here’s what it means:

“This isn’t taking NFL production or potential into account — only the player’s predraft report. But I also talked to a handful of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers to get their takes,” Miller wrote. “I included my predraft rankings for the specific draft classes they were each in.”

Note: I will include portions of Miller’s breakdowns in the Skull Session. Click the hyperlink above to read his article in full.

No. 1 - Marvin Harrison Jr.

Predraft rank: No. 2 overall, WR1

Drafted: No. 4 overall to the Arizona Cardinals

…

Harrison was praised as a professional wide receiver with elite route running and strong hands. There were concerns surrounding his lack of yards-after-catch ability, along with a predraft process that saw him sit out of traditional testing at the NFL combine and his pro day. But I saw a WR with "excellent body control, breakaway speed and a savvy understanding of the wideout position," as I wrote in my final scouting report.

In his two seasons as a pro, Harrison has not yet lived up to his predraft expectations, catching just 103 passes for 1,493 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over that time. He missed five games due to a heel injury in 2025.

"I'm shocked he's not an All-Pro yet," an AFC scout said.

No. 2 - Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Predraft rank: No. 5 overall, WR1

Drafted: No. 20 overall to the Seattle Seahawks

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JSN broke out as one of the league's best receivers last season, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. He had 119 catches and 10 touchdowns en route to NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. He was rewarded with a four-year, $168.6 million extension on Monday, the highest ever for a wide receiver.

The 6-foot, 197-pounder was knocked by some evaluators as a "slot-only" prospect due to his limited size and average speed, but his ability to get open as a route runner stood out. I loved his quickness in and out of his breaks and overall body control.

"He was the most polished receiver of the group [dating to 2022] and could teach a clinic on route running and leverage," said an NFL general manager.

No. 3 - Garrett Wilson

Predraft rank: No. 12 overall, WR3

Drafted: No. 10 overall to the New York Jets

…

"Wilson would be WR2 on my personal board based on predraft rankings ... he was so good at 50-50 balls and fought his butt off with the ball in his hands. You don't see many smaller guys do that," an NFC South scout said.

Wilson ripped off three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Jets to start his career. In 2024, he hauled in 101 passes for 1,104 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, but he missed nine games in 2025 due to a hyperextended knee in October and a sprain to that knee in November.

No. 4 - Carnell Tate

Predraft rank: No. 9 overall, WR2

Best team fits: New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins

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Like several receivers on this list, Tate was never the No. 1 target in Columbus. Even in his final season, he was the secondary option behind Jeremiah Smith. But he has been able to impress in a No. 2 role with his routes, toughness and ability to play above the rim.

"You watch his route running and his body control, and tell me that's not Justin Jefferson at LSU," said an NFC area scout.

Tate wins like Jefferson does -- with timing, body control and quick cuts that allow him to separate with or without the ball. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Tate plays much bigger than his listed size, too.

"He high-points so well. The first time I saw him play I thought he must be 6-foot-4 with his length and vertical ability," said the same scout.

No. 5 - Chris Olave

Predraft rank: No. 15 overall, WR4

Drafted: No. 11 overall to the New Orleans Saints

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I consider Olave a personal miss, as I had him lower in my predraft rankings than most. He tested much better than I expected at the 2022 combine, highlighted by his 4.39 40-yard dash. At 6-foot, 187 pounds, Olave was seen by scouts as an NFL-ready route runner with good vertical speed and exceptionally smooth movements throughout the route tree.

The knock on Olave at the time was how much space was afforded to receivers in Ohio State's scheme. But he scored 35 touchdowns in four seasons with the Buckeyes, and he had three years of more than 700 receiving yards and at least 49 catches.

"I didn't think [Olave] was tough enough to hang with NFL corners," an AFC East scout said -- a sentiment that matches my predraft notes.

No. 6 - Emeka Egbuka

Predraft rank: No. 23 overall, WR4

Drafted: No. 19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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In three years as a starter [at Ohio State], he produced two seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards and had 24 touchdowns on 196 catches.

"He was one of my favorite players to watch last year," an NFL general manager said. "I was pissed when he went to Tampa because it's such a great fit for his skills."

Egbuka produced immediately as a rookie, with 63 receptions for 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns. With Mike Evans signing with the 49ers as a free agent this offseason, Egbuka is on track to be the Buccaneers' No. 1 receiver in 2026.

You know what's funny?

Jeremiah Smith would be No. 1 on this list if it came out a year from now.

We are unbelievably blessed in Columbus.

 BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! If Field Minister Yates’ prediction is correct, the Eleven Warriors staff will be moving like this on April 23:

The ESPN NFL analyst released a two-round mock draft Tuesday, and it included four Buckeyes in the top six picks — one right after another from No. 3 through No. 6. That’s four straight BOOMs.

No. 3 - Arvell Reese to the Arizona Cardinals

After Arizona released Kyler Murray, its offseason has signaled that drafting a quarterback is a logical outcome. But the Cardinals are not going to reach for one here. Like the Jets, the Cardinals can add to their recent front-seven investments, which include edge rusher Josh Sweat from last free agency.

Reese is a unique defensive player in this class, playing a hybrid position at Ohio State as an off-ball linebacker and pass rusher. He has massive length at 6-foot-4, explosive athletic traits and major upside if the Cardinals keep him at edge rusher. Reese said at the combine that he hasn't "scratched the surface" as a pass rusher. He generated 19 pressures on a mere 97 pass-rush reps in 2025.

No. 4 - Sonny Styles to the Tennessee Titans

The Titans don't have a glaring need at pass rush after trading for Jermaine Johnson and signing John Franklin-Myers. But new coach Robert Saleh shouldn't mind more help at linebacker behind Johnson, Franklin-Myers and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

Styles has put together about as good of a final season and predraft process as you could ask for. He dominated on the field in 2025, finishing with the third-highest tackle percentage in the FBS (97.5%). Then at the combine, he posted the highest vertical jump by an off-ball linebacker since 2003 (43½ inches) and ran the fastest 40 at his position (4.46). Styles is instinctive and long at 6-5, with the versatility to cover or blitz as a former safety.

No. 5 - Caleb Downs to the New York Giants

Downs has been a dominant force longer than any other defender in this class. The former Alabama and Ohio State All-American is a shapeshifter, deploying down in the box against the run or patrolling the back end with excellent coverage range.

The Giants made strides in their safety room over free agency, adding Jason Pinnock and Ar'Darius Washington as help alongside Jevon Holland. But in a league where successful defenses deploy three safeties with greater frequency, what doesn't appear as a major need for the Giants should not be dismissed. This would make Downs the highest safety drafted since Eric Berry in 2010.

No. 6 - Carnell Tate to the Cleveland Browns

The Browns' most obvious needs are at wide receiver and offensive tackle — despite plenty of new additions — and I've been an advocate for considering Georgia's Monroe Freeling here to fill the left tackle need. But Tate is rated four spots higher than Freeling in my individual rankings, so let's go with the sure-handed wideout.

Tate averaged 17.2 yards per reception in 2025 and had just one drop. He's versatile and can stretch the field for new coach Todd Monken, posting 875 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. No Browns receiver had over 650 receiving yards or two touchdowns last season.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s Feb. 24 mock draft had Ohio State setting an unprecedented mark with four players in the top seven picks. Yates’ mock pushes it even further — four in the top six.

That’s not a run. That’s a takeover.

 CHASING (MORE) HISTORY. Ohio State’s artistic swimming team returns to the national stage this weekend with history squarely in its sights.

The Buckeyes — already the winningest program in collegiate artistic swimming with 34 national championships — will travel to Palo Alto, California, to compete in the 2026 U.S. Collegiate National Championships, held March 26-28 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.

A 35th national title would add yet another chapter to Ohio State’s unmatched legacy in the sport, a standard the program has built over decades of dominance and sustained excellence. Leading that pursuit is head coach Holly Vargo-Brown. Some call her one of the sport’s most decorated figures. I call her Mom (and one of the sport’s most decorated figures). 

Already a multiple-time U.S. Collegiate Coach of the Year, Brown enters the weekend with an opportunity to secure her seventh such honor. She can also win her 27th title as either a student-athlete, assistant coach or head coach — further cementing her status as the architect behind the Buckeyes’ dynasty.

Standing in the way is a loaded field that includes host Stanford, the defending national champion, competing on its home deck. Incarnate Word, Florida, Boston, Richmond, Minnesota, Michigan, UC San Diego, Arizona, Wheaton and UCLA are also competing at the event.

But as Ohio State heads west, the mission remains familiar: add another national title to the trophy case and continue defining what dominance looks like in collegiate artistic swimming.

I’ll be watching with great interest!

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Glory Days" - Bruce Springsteen.

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