After a thrilling win against rival Michigan, the talk of college football has been Ohio State. Since Urban Meyer came to town, the Buckeyes have been one of the most successful programs in the entire country. In five seasons, Meyer is now 61-5, will have two appearances in the College Football Playoff, and of course has a National Championship win. However, now that Meyer is pushing through his recruiting classes, it is starting to show that his success will not just be limited to college athletics. Meyer is making Ohio State a dominant force in the NFL as well.
In 2016, the Buckeyes had 12 players taken in the NFL draft. That is five behind the most all-time when Texas had 17 players drafted in 1984. Since 2000, only the 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes have had more players drafted. This class of Buckeyes may easily be the most impressive in recent history. Let’s look at the names.
Ohio State Rookies Taking NFL by Storm
Joey Bosa, third overall, San Diego Chargers
Bosa came into the season with some off-field questions and an injury. Since then, he has not only been one of the most dominating rookies, he has been a dominant player in the NFL. Bosa has only started in six games and has been active for seven. Still, he has 4.5 sacks, 22 tackles and has been causing some of the most pressure of any player in that time. He somehow is already the obvious Defensive Rookie of the Year choice, despite four missed games and is clearly going to be a force in San Diego moving forward.
Ezekiel Elliott, fourth overall, Dallas Cowboys
We all know the story of “Zeke” by now. Elliott leads the league in rushing yards and is coming close to the pace that broke the NFL record for rushing yards in one season. Forget Offensive Rookie of the Year, Elliott is making a case for the MVP of the NFL through 12 weeks. Crazily, he was the second Buckeye taken in this draft, despite being a top five pick nonetheless.
Eli Apple, 10th overall, New York Giants
Apple, despite being a top ten pick, and starting in six games for a team with a dramatic improvement on defense, is arguably not one of the five most impactful Buckeye rookies this season.That has more to do with the talent of this group than his play, though. Apple has three passes defended and a forced fumble to go with 29 tackles this season. He has had ups and downs and has dealt with injury, but his floor looks to be a solid number two cornerback.
Taylor Decker, 16th overall, Detroit Lions
Many are wondering what it was that helped turn the Lions from a perennial loser to a team that can not even find ways to lose in 2016. One factor is the offensive line is much improved. Decker has started all 11 games this season at left tackle, arguably the most valuable position on the line. With that, the Lions have gone from top ten in sacks allowed to the bottom half of the league. They have also gone from 22nd in adjusted sack rate to 17th. Decker is a big difference, and could easily turn out into the best offensive tackle from this class.
Darron Lee, 20th overall, New York Jets
Lee has been injured, and only has four starts, but he has still played in over half of the Jets snaps this season. He has recorded five tackles in five games this season and is coming off of a career-high 11 tackles in week 12 against the Patriots. He is now a full-time starter and will be a staple for the inside of the Jets defense moving forward.
Michael Thomas, 47th overall, New Orleans Saints
With Elliott and Bosa at the top, Thomas has easily been the third most impressive Buckeye to date. Michael Thomas leads all rookies in catches, targets, yards, touchdowns and snaps. Heck, he leads the lethal Saints passing attack in all of those areas as well. He has seven touchdowns and nearly 800 yards, which would have been a solid campaign for a second round pick. However, he still has time to add to it. If it were not for his former collegiate teammate Elliott, he would be having hands down rookie of the year season. It is crazy to think he was the sixth Buckeye off the board.
Vonn Bell, 61st overall, New Orleans Saints
Bell did not start the first three weeks of the season. However, he now has eight starts for the Saints and is arguably their best secondary member. He has helped turn the Saints defense from historically bad to somewhat respectable and it has only been half of a season. Bell has 50 tackles this season and a forced fumble. He is fifth on the defense in snaps played and has been strong as an over the top safety, against the run, and as a slot cornerback. He is clearly an NFL starter in this league.
Adolphus Washington, 80th overall, Buffalo Bills
Washington has eight starts for the Bills this year and has played a big role in a much-improved run defense. The Bills have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher in the past four weeks and have given up less than 4.0 yards per carry in that time. A lot of that can be tied to the improved play of a youngster like Washington. Washington has 17 tackles, and 2.5 sacks, and looks to be a clear starter for the Bills defense moving forward.
Braxton Miller, 85th overall, Houston Texans
Miller, who was a quarterback for most of his college career, now has five NFL starts as a rookie wide receiver. He looks good in them too. Miller currently has 15 catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. The passing struggles of the Texans can be attributed to Brock Osweiler, but as a third receiver and slot option, Miller has a place in the NFL. For him to be the ninth Buckeye taken, and the ninth Buckeye to start in at least four games as a rookie can only speak to what kind of talent this team had.
While Joshua Perry, Nick Vannett, and Cardale Jones were also drafted, they are the clear 10-12 of this group of Buckeyes. Vannett has one catch this year, and Perry has seven tackles. In the case of Jones, it is becoming clear how this team could win a National Championship with him as a third-string starter, and it was not that he was a secret weapon Meyer had yet to unleash. This team has nine rookies making huge impacts on NFL rosters, and as the success of the Buckeyes continued in 2016 without those rookies, it looks as though this will become a regular occurrence and that the Buckeyes will now begin their dominance of the NFL.
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