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Buckeyes fly off draft board
Bosa, Elliott picked third, fourth;
five OSU players go in first round
By TIM MAY
Columbus Dispatch
CHICAGO
Joey Bosa led Ohio State’s assault on the NFL draft tonight in Chicago, and four Buckeyes teammates joined him by the 20th pick.
After San Diego made Bosa the No.3 pick and Dallas took Ezekiel Elliott at No.4, folks might have figured Ohio State’s contingent was in for a swoon. Instead, the New York Giants pulled a stunner, making OSU cornerback Eli Apple the 10th overall selection.
Six slots later, tackle Taylor Decker became the fourth Buckeye taken in Round 1 when the Detroit Lions dialed him up. Then outside linebacker Darron Lee became the fifth when the New York Jets made him the 20th pick.
The only other program in history to produce five players drafted in the top 20 was Miami in 2004.
When Lee strode to the stage to embrace NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the waiting room had been cleared of Buckeyes. Lee, a third-year sophomore who left early, hadn’t really been connected with the Jets in pre-draft banter.
Decker, the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year last season, now will be playing home games in a state where he never lost in college. The Buckeyes won at Michigan in 2013 and ’15 and at Michigan State in ’14.
As for Apple, some experts had him possibly slipping out of the first round, even though he was one of five Buckeyes who made the trip to Chicago to be part of the festivities. A third-year sophomore who chose to leave with two years eligibility remaining, Apple didn’t have to wait long, even though Vernon Hargreaves of Florida and a couple of other cornerbacks had better ratings.
“We think Hargreaves is a good player; we think this guy is a better player,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese told the New York media.
By then, Bosa already was a solid hour into his new life as a Charger. He had gone into the night not knowing where he was headed or when. He turned out to be the first non-quarterback taken after Los Angeles picked California’s Jared Goff and Philadelphia took Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State.
“I thought I’d be in there 30, 45 minutes,” Bosa said of the waiting room where he and his former teammates, along with 21 other players, were ensconced.
The emotion in his voice was obvious as he did an interview with NFL Network.
“For them to pick me third overall? It’s amazing,” Bosa said. “I can’t wait to get out there.”
A two-time All-American who left OSU with a year of eligibility remaining, Bosa became the highest picked Buckeye since tackle Orlando Pace was the No.1 overall selection in 1997 by the St. Louis Rams.
Then came Elliott to the Cowboys, making him and Bosa the two fastest Buckeyes drafted since ‘97, when Pace was followed by Shawn Springs at No.3 to San Diego.
Rumors abounded that the Cowboys were considering Bosa, Elliott and cornerback Jalen Ramsey of Florida State before the pick was made public. Now Elliott is headed to “America’s team,” which has won five Super Bowls but none since 1995.
“I don’t think they could have picked a better player for this situation,” Elliott told NFL Network. “I live for the high expectations, I live for the big moments.
“I’m a competitor and that’s it. I hate to lose more than I love winning. I’m coming to Dallas to help win the Super Bowl.”