Five Buckeyes Touted in PFF's Draft-Eligible Returning Defensive Player Rankings
Everybody knows the returning talent the Ohio State Buckeyes have on offense, but what about the defense?
Pro Football Focus ranked the top-10 draft-eligible players at each position group and, while he had six NFL-ready prospects on his offensive list, the Buckeyes had five players on defense that are poised for high 2024 NFL Draft slots.
Here's what the site had to say about each of the five NFL-hopeful Buckeye defenders:
DT Mike Hall Jr.:
"Hall played only 266 snaps this past season as a part of Ohio State’s defensive tackle rotation. He flashed on that limited workload, though, with an 80.3 grade and six sacks."
DE J.T. Tuimoloau:
"Tuimoloau's outing against Penn State in 2022 was one of the most complete performances you'll ever see. In that contest, he recorded two sacks, two interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a tackle for loss, a batted pass and three pressures. He does need to be more consistent, earning just a 67.0 grade in the other 12 games. Still, his physical tools are worth betting on early in the draft."
DE Jack Sawyer:
"Between Sawyer and the aforementioned Tuimoloau, Ohio State secured two top-five overall recruits at edge defender in the 2021 class. Sawyer has been mostly a rotational edge for the Buckeyes the past two seasons but should start alongside Tuimoloau since Zach Harrison was drafted by Atlanta Falcons.
"As a sophomore, he led all Buckeye edge defenders and ranked 11th in the Big Ten with a 16 percent pass-rush win rate. He also placed in the top 10 in the conference with a 73.4 run-defense grade. He’s still noticeably raw overall, but a season as a full-time starter should reveal more of his potential."
LB Tommy Eichenberg:
"Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker in college football, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
"The redshirt junior is a dominant run stuffer, as his 49 run-defense stops in 2022 ranked second among linebackers while his 20 tackles for loss or no gain were tied for third."
CB Denzel Burke:
"Burke started at outside cornerback as a true freshman with Ohio State and allowed only a 48.4 percent completion rate while forcing 10 incompletions and not allowing any touchdowns.
"He regressed as a sophomore, letting up a 110.2 passer rating when targeted. He’s a physical press cornerback at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, and he could be a first-round pick with a bounce-back junior campaign."
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