Five Buckeyes stars land in latest ESPN 2024 first-round mock draft
COLUMBUS — There are still more than nine months and an entire college football season to be played before the next NFL Draft. That isn’t stopping draft experts from making their predictions on what will happen in the first round next April.
ESPN draft expert Jordan Reid has released his latest mock draft for next spring’s draft in Detroit, and he has five Buckeyes going in the first round, the most of any program sending elite talent to the next level.
Of course, it starts at pick No. 2, when Reid has the Arizona Cardinals taking Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after those same Cardinals take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick.
It doesn’t stop there for the Buckeyes wide receivers. Reid has the Chicago Bears taking Buckeyes star Emeka Egbuka with the No. 11 pick, which would team him up with former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Those two never played together at Ohio State, but they could link up in the NFL if that mock draft choice becomes a reality.
From there, the Buckeyes just keep coming off the board in the first round of the mock draft. Next up: Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, whom Reid has as being selected in the middle of the first round by the Denver Broncos with the No. 16 pick. He would be the first Ohio State defender taken in the first round since 2019, when three Buckeyes defensive players were selected.
It doesn’t take four years for another Buckeyes defender to be selected. It doesn’t even take four picks. No, Reid has another Ohio State defensive player selected with the very next pick, as Reid has defensive tackle Mike Hall coming off the board with the No. 17 pick to the Houston Texans, teaming him up with former Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud.
And just one selection later, Reid has yet another Buckeyes player coming off the board, making it three straight picks used on Ohio State stars. Reid has preseason All-American guard Donovan Jackson heading to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 18 overall selection.
Rest of Big Ten equals Ohio State in mock draft
Ohio State has five players listed in the mock draft from ESPN. The rest of the Big Ten has five combined first-round picks in the mock draft. Those players are Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu being selected No. 4 overall by the Indianapolis Colts, Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zahn Newton flying off the board with the No. 19 pick to the Seattle Seahawks, Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson being selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 19th pick, Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins going to the Los Angeles Chargers at pick No. 22 and Penn State cornerback Kalen King going to the Detroit Lions with pick 25.
