NFL Combine: 8 Ohio State players land invites

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith•02/08/23•

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In last year’s NFL Draft, Ohio State had six players selected, maintaining a nine-year streak where at least five Buckeyes have been drafted. A handful of Ohio State players made it one step closer to that reality on Wednesday, as it was announced that eight Buckeyes have landed an invite to this year’s NFL Combine.

Ohio State’s combine invitees are headlined by star quarterback CJ Stroud, who ended his tremendous career in Columbus with 8,123 passing yards and 85 touchdown passes in just two seasons as a starter. Stroud was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and in ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft was projected as the first quarterback selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Houston Texans.

Kiper’s mock draft also had offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba being selected in the first round. The two were also both invited to the combine, with Johnson fresh off of a phenomenal season as the anchor of the Buckeyes offensive line and Smith-Njigba coming off of an injury-riddled season where he was barely able to play following a breakout 2021 campaign.

The NFL Combine will take place from February 28 to March 6, and here are the Buckeyes you can expect to see there if they accept their invites.

Ohio State Buckeyes invited to NFL Scouting Combine

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.