Three Buckeyes Taken in Mel Kiper Jr.'s 2-Round Mock Draft, No Dawand Jones?

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest NFL mock draft features three Ohio State Buckeyes, and quarterback C.J. Stroud isn't his No. 1 overall pick.

In ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper's fourth mock draft that projects each pick in the first two rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft, the Ohio State Buckeyes land three first-round picks, which is tied for the most of any school.

Kiper has quarterback C.J. Stroud going second overall to the Houston Texans, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba joining him in Houston at No. 12 and tackle Paris Johnson Jr. 19th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kiper has no teams taking a second-round flier on any Buckeyes, despite ESPN's Todd McShay projecting the Miami Dolphins to select tackle Dawand Jones with the No. 51 overall pick.

Kiper said he believes the Texans will use their No. 2 overall pick on their "face of the franchise" quarterback, saying Stroud is "a smooth thrower with advanced mechanics in a 6-3 frame."

"He has all the tool to be an All-Pro passer — except the talent around him," Kiper wrote.

He went on to mention that the Texans need to grab a weapon for Stroud. Enter Stroud's college teammate Smith-Njigba, who is Kiper's first receiver taken in the draft.

"This is the Texans' chance to take their pick of the wide receivers in this class, and we know Smith-Njigba can be a star with C.J. Stroud throwing him passes," Kiper said. "What's not to like about this combo?"

Kiper expressed concern with Smith-Njigba's health, but said his combine workout showed he was back to 100 percent.

"Smith-Njigba has No. 1 wideout potential, but he's coming off a lost season because of a hamstring injury — he caught five passes and ran 42 routes during the entire 2022 campaign," Kiper said. "He showed he was healthy at the combine and I feel comfortable putting him in this range in Round 1. Houston has to add more talented pass-catchers."

Johnson, meanwhile, is Kiper's fourth tackle taken behind Tennessee's Darnell Wright, Northwestern's Peter Skoronski and Georgia's Broderick Jones.

Kiper said Johnson had a "stellar" 2022 season. Last year, Johnson allowed two sacks and 12 hurries in 423 allowed pressure opportunities last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Ohio State has had a first-round draft pick in each of the last seven drafts.

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