What NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah says about top Buckeyes prospects

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL Combine is underway, and the league’s draft experts are shedding light on the top prospects in this year’s draft, including those from Ohio State.

Notably, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah held a conference call earlier this week to preview the pre-draft showcase. Jeremiah was asked about Ohio State’s expected first rounders: quarterback C.J. Stroud, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and offensive tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones.

Here’s what Jeremiah had to say.

Daniel Jeremiah on Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud …

Q: Do you believe Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud is that much of a drop-off? Would that be — how would you feel about that as a consolation prize if the Texans ended up getting C.J. Stroud instead of Bryce Young?

DJ: “I would be fine with it. I have Bryce Young. I like Bryce Young better on the tape, but I think C.J. Stroud is a really good player. If the price — if you’re not comfortable with that price to go up to get to that No. 1 pick, staying where they are and getting C.J. Stroud, I would feel just fine about that. I think he is just a pure thrower. The big question with him, it’s been talked about, was, OK, not a lot of off-schedule, not a lot of playmaking, but then all of a sudden you see the semifinal game and you are, like, ‘Dude, where has this been?’ He showed you he has that ability. The old scouting adage is if you can do it once, you can do it. So you know he does have that ability. Now, I think Bryce is just a little — he is a little bit more of a playmaker to me consistently when you watch him. I just love his instincts and feel, his ability to maneuver within the pocket I think is better. So I think Bryce Young is a better player, but I would not be — I would not be totally bummed if you sat there at No. 2 and ended up with C.J. Stroud.”

Q: This is sort of piggybacking off of the last question. The Colts sitting at No. 4. In your mind, is there a big enough gap at No. 1 between Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud and Will Levis that you really can’t sit there at No. 4 and get what’s left. If you believe Bryce Young is the guy, do you go get him?

DJ: “Yeah, I think if you have the conviction, I think if you are the Colts right now, they’ve been on this veteran carousel, as you know, for so long. They’ve got to get off of it. So if you have conviction of who that guy is, I think where their position is as an organization I think it makes sense for them to be maybe more aggressive than Houston would be. If you have that conviction, just go up there and get him. No. 4, there’s a lot that can happen. You know, you might have one that you love, one that you really like, and then it drops off. Nobody knows what order that’s in, but I would not be comfortable — I would not be sleeping well at night if I was just going to sit and hold tight there at No. 4.”

Q: How do you kind of rank the quarterback class, and how many potential franchise quarterbacks do you see in this class?

DJ: “I think there’s — I would actually say five because we’ll see where Hendon Hooker lands. Again, I already went down that road, but I know he is older, but I think he has a chance to be a starter, be a solid starter. I would say there’s a chance to be five, and they all have concerns. There’s not a — it’s not one of those years where you have Trevor Lawrence. It’s not Joe Burrow. It’s not Andrew Luck. It’s not that year where you say, OK, this is that one — I don’t want to say can’t miss — but it’s going to be hard to miss. We don’t have that. They all have warts and flaws, but I think there’s five potential solid starters in this group. I have it Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, [Will] Levis, [Anthony] Richardson. But, again, if you know who you have developing these guys and you have a plan in place, I think it’s very close when you look at how those guys stack up.

“For me it’s Bryce, a gap, and then those other three guys. I think it’s however they fit you, what plan you have in place, and how you want to use them. If you have a veteran in place for a year, I think Anthony Richardson you can make that case. You’ve got a coordinator that understands how to incorporate Will Levis’ athleticism right now. I know in talking to folks that have been through there, they rave about his ability to handle a lot of information. So if you think about Josh McDaniels and his offense, it’s been kind of known as they can put a lot on your plate. It sounds like that’s something he is comfortable doing. I would put Hendon Hooker in that same realm, just in terms of when they talk about his football acumen. He is going to be able to pick it up and handle a large playbook there. Stroud to me is just like the — he is the purest thrower of the bunch. Just accurate. If you value decision-making, accuracy, as pretty much everybody does, C.J. Stroud is really, really solid in that area. That’s why he is No. 2 for me. Bryce I think outside the size just does everything at a very high level.”

Daniel Jeremiah on Ohio State OT Dawand Jones …

Q: For Dawand Jones, obviously he had a good Senior Bowl, really impressive Senior Bowl. Could he potentially still rise up to the bottom of the first round?

DJ: “Yeah, I mean, I would have liked to see him more in the Senior Bowl. He had a dominant day or two and then he was gone because he got a little nicked up there. Yeah, if I start there with him, for those that don’t know about him, he is 6-foot-8, 375 pounds. He has 36 and 5/8 inch arms. It’s insane. It’s ridiculous how long he is. That’s where you start with the size and the frame. Now, he is an avalanche in the run game when he can block down. You get in his way, you’re going to get collapsed. You’re not going to be able to stop that from happening. He is too big. He is too massive. He is too strong. He has average foot quickness. The struggles that he has are in space and then when he has to redirect. One of the things at the Senior Bowl he did really well because a lot of people got the bright idea they were going to try and bull-rush and rush to the chest of a 375-pound guy, which did not work well. Then if they tried to rush with speed, he just uses those long arms and just widens them out and rides them by. His issues arise when he has to redirect. So when you get up the field and he has to redirect back inside, that’s kind of been a little bit of his kryptonite. You saw it with massive guys, it’s always going to be the case. With [Daniel] Faalele from Minnesota the year before, same thing. He just didn’t really get tested with that at the Senior Bowl, but that’s the one concern there. That’s the one issue.”

Daniel Jeremiah on Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr. …

Q: Do you feel like only having one year at left tackle is having any effect on his draft evaluation right now?

DJ: “If he would have gone back and gotten a little stronger, I think you are talking about somebody that could have been a top-five pick next year because he has that type of ability. He has the frame. He has the quickness. He just needs to get a little bit stronger and play a little bit lower, but there is a ton to work with there. When I say the redirect issues with Dawand Jones, Paris Johnson can redirect fluidly, easily. He is an outstanding athlete. So that was kind of the one knock on him. It’s just playing a little bit lower consistently and just getting a little bit stronger, so those are the two concerns.”

Daniel Jeremiah on Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba …

Q: I’m curious, when you are looking at this top of the line wide receivers in this draft, the Bills are looking in that direction. Is there one in particular that you think if Brandon Beane was to select one of them, fits in with what they have in Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis already?

DJ: “Yeah. I mean, gosh, that’s a good question in terms of exactly how they fit in there. You know, [Jaxon] Smith-Njigba would probably be one that I would think would be a nice complement there. If you are looking for somebody who can do some of that in the middle of the field, he gives you that. Gabe can play more over the top and Diggs kind of does everything. That would be one I would think that would be a really good fit there as a really good player.”