Scarlet Sunrise: 11 Buckeyes players featured in Mel Kiper Jr.'s 2024 NFL Draft position rankings

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11 Buckeyes players featured in Mel Kiper Jr.’s 2024 NFL Draft position rankings

The regular season is over, and the calendar has turned to December.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has released his latest 2024 NFL Draft Big Board and position rankings. As expected, the Buckeyes are heavily featured, with 11 Ohio State players landing in the top 10 of their respective position rankings.

Here’s where each of those potential draftees stands:

NOTE: Just because a player is listed, doesn’t mean they have declared for the NFL Draft. It just means they are eligible for the draft and worthy of Kiper’s ranking.

TreVeyon Henderson (5th, running backs): Since returning from injury Week 9 at Wisconsin, Henderson has been one of the most dynamic running backs in college football.

Marvin Harrison Jr. (1st, wide receivers): Harrison should win the Biletnikoff Award and might be a Heisman Trophy finalist. He’s even more of a lock for WR1 in this year’s draft.

Emeka Egbuka (6th, wide receivers): Egbuka was hampered by an ankle injury he suffered Week 6 against Maryland. It will be interesting to see if he elects to return or still head to the draft.

Cade Stover (3rd, tight ends): Stover built on an impressive 2022 as a two-time captain. He was the Buckeyes’ second-leading receiver in the regular season and hauled in a career-high 41 catches.

Donovan Jackson (7th, offensive guards): Jackson had a slow start to the year, but he mostly settled in. His talent remains NFL worthy. Another year at Ohio State could help him raise his stock, though.

J.T. Tuimoloau (2nd, defensive ends): Tuimoloau is a difference maker, and that showed up at Notre Dame in Week 4 and again versus Penn State in Week 8. It’s easy to see why Kiper has him this high.

Jack Sawyer (10th, defensive ends): Sawyer — an elite run defender at the position — is still underrated. He logged the highest PFF defensive grade of any Buckeyes player this season.

Tyleik Williams (4th, defensive tackles): Williams played better and, maybe just as important, longer than he ever had in his Buckeyes career in 2023. His 586 defensive snaps are fourth on the team.

Tommy Eichenberg (7th, off-ball linebackers): Eichenberg is a two-time Ohio State captain. He’s the QB of the defense. He wasn’t as impactful as last year, but his football IQ and toughness are intriguing.

Denzel Burke (5th, cornerbacks): Burke emerged as one of the most improved players early this season. An injury hiccup interrupted a breakout year, but his development can’t be ignored.

Lathan Ransom (10th, safeties): Ransom was affected by injury even more. He missed the final four games of the regular season after taking another step at strong safety.

Pair of Ohio State players headed to transfer portal

Transfer chatter is heating up, and two more Ohio State players are headed to the portal: center Victor Cutler Jr. and safety Cameron Martinez.

Cutler backed up Carson Hinzman this season after giving Hinzman a push in training camp. He was with the program for only one season. Cutler previously started 21 games at Louisiana-Monroe.

Martinez, meanwhile, saw the field for just 28 defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. For reference, he played at least 175 defensive snaps in 2022 and 2021. Martinez was taking first-team reps at “nickel” safety in the spring, but that position was eventually seized by safety Sonny Styles and then cornerback Jordan Hancock.

For more on Cutler, go here.

For more on Martinez, go here.

Tracking redshirt situation, playing time for Buckeyes freshmen

The transfer portal window opens soon, and the early signing period is around the corner. But what about last year’s Ohio State signees? What kind of impact did they make in 2023?

Lettermen Row tracked the playing time of all 21 Buckeyes true freshman.

Seven didn’t end up getting on the field in the regular season, but 14 made their Ohio State debuts. And a handful played a significant part in the Buckeyes’ plans this year.

To find out who burned redshirts and who played the most in the regular season, head on over here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 365 days

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