It’s the time of year when NFL draft hopefuls strut their stuff. We’ve already seen some of the national players expected to go in the draft get prodded, poked, and interviewed during the NFL scouting combine, and now, that’ll be replaced by some of the bigger individual schools holding their own version of the event, called pro day.
For Ohio State, it’s an annual event that has a lot of potential NFL talent because of the football factory that it is, and it’s no different in 2023. There will be quite a large contingent on hand to witness C.J. Stroud and others go through some on-field workouts, and some of the event is even being televised by the NFL.
So what former Buckeyes can you expect to see on Wednesday? Here’s a list of all 14 Ohio State players expected to put their best foot forward during Ohio State football’s pro day and the narratives on each.
Cam Brown, Cornerback
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 192 pounds
Hometown | St. Louis, Missouri
The Skinny
Brown is a speedster, and we’ll be watching his 40-time closely. He’ll be seen as a potential guy in the NFL and probably won’t go until the later rounds.
Jerron Cage, Defensive Tackle
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 2-inches, 305 pounds
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio
The Skinny
Cage is a big body but will also be seen as a guy that still has some things to work on. It’ll be interesting to if and when he gets drafted. He needs to impress Wednesday to help his stock.
Palaie Gaoteote, Linebacker
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 2-inches, 245 pounds
Hometown | Las Vegas, Nevada
The Skinny
A former 5-star prospect, Gaoteote never really made a name for himself after transferring from USC to Ohio State. It is unlikely he gets drafted in April but is hoping to impress enough to be an undrafted free agent.
Zach Harrison, Defensive End
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 6-inches, 272 pounds
Hometown | Lewis Center, Ohio
The Skinny
We can’t deny the fact that Harrison is a freak of an athlete that had a very productive career at Ohio State. We also can’t deny that he didn’t quite live up to the high billing he received out of high school. Harrison screams untapped potential and will be impressive. He won’t be a first-day kind of guy but should go in the earlier rounds.
Ronnie Hickman, Safety
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 1-inch, 207 pounds
Hometown | South Orange, New Jersey
The Skinny
Hickman had an impressive year in 2021 but showed less production in the Jim Knowles scheme in 2022. He’s a big safety that can run in space but is seen as a mid-round prospect. A good performance on Wednesday could elevate his stock a bit to show that he’s more of the 2021 player than what we saw last season.
Paris Johnson Jr., Offensive Tackle
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 6-inches, 310 pounds
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio
The Skinny
Johnson Jr. is one of the best offensive tackles in the draft and is almost a sure-fire first-rounder. What he does Wednesday will have little impact on where he lands, so don’t expect a lot of headlining highlights here.
Dawand Jones, Offensive Tackle
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 8-inches, 359 pounds
Hometown | Indianapolis, Indiana
The Skinny
Jones too is one of the best offensive tackles in this draft class but still has some work to do with technique. He has a rare blend of size and athleticism that could develop into one of the best tackles in the NFL if he sticks with it and lands in the right spot. He can impress some NFL types on Wednesday and improve his standing and sneak into the late first round.
Tanner McCalister, Safety
Bio
Height/Weight | 5-foot, 11-inches, 195 pounds
Hometown | Rockwall, Texas
The Skinny
McCalister only spent one year at Ohio State and is known as a student of the game that gets the most out of his God-given abilities. He won’t be seen as the most athletically gifted safety in the draft and is looking to impress enough to become a late-round selection or undrafted free agent.
Brad Robinson, Long Snapper
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 1-inch, 230 pounds
Hometown | Troy, Michigan
The Skinny
Robinson has been at Ohio State for a long time and his niche is the long snapper position. Don’t expect him to get drafted, but the position in its nature is one where you can hang around a long time if you can impress the right person. Just look at former Buckeye Jake McQuaide as an example.
Mitch Rossi, Tight End/Fullback
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 1-inch, 250 pounds
Hometown | Franklin, Tennessee
The Skinny
Rossi didn’t get a lot of exposure at Ohio State and that will likely hurt his draft chances. Still, he’s going to work out and hopes to show an NFL representative the hard-working, blue-collar type of player he is in hopes of landing a contract after the draft.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wide Receiver
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 1-inch, 200 pounds
Hometown | Rockwall, Texas
The Skinny
Smith-Njigba will be one of the most interesting storylines of the draft and OSU’s pro day. He didn’t do much in the way of workouts in Indy, so what will he decide to to in Columbus? He’s a first-round talent and if he can show he is fully healthy and knock back the rumors of his lack of straight-line speed, he’ll cement himself as a first day selection.
C.J. Stroud, Quarterback
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 218 pounds
Hometown | Inland Empire, California
The Skinny
Well, yeah. Stroud is a no-brainer lock to go somewhere in the top five of this year’s draft most likely. He wowed scouts and executives at the combine with his precision and arm strength at all three levels of the field. He has alluded to showing off his athleticism with more workouts Wednesday, and if he can do well, he might cement himself as the No. 1 overall pick. After all, the Carolina Panthers, who own the top pick, have 10 representatives there to take it all in.
Taron Vincent, Defensive Tackle
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 2-inches, 300 pounds
Hometown | Baltimore, Maryland
The Skinny
The son of NFL All-Pro Troy Vincent, we kept waiting for Taron to break out and reach the potential of his accolades coming out of high school. That never really happened and despite being a solid contributor, he’ll need to show up Wednesday and have an impressive workout. He is most likely going to be an undrafted free agent.
Luke Wypler, Center
Bio
Height/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 300 pounds
Hometown | Montvale, New Jersey
The Skinny
Some were surprised when Wypler decided to skip his last season of eligibility at Ohio State, but it makes sense. He’s one of the best centers available coming out this year and it’s a position many teams covet. He’s probably already done what he needs to be in position to be drafted somewhere in round two or three, but we’ll see if any further developments come from Wednesday.
