By Bill Smith

I played golf with my uncle a few years ago and found out one thing.  It isn’t how good a golfer you are that makes the biggest difference on the score card.  It’s what you count and don’t count that separates winners from losers.  The same can be said for Division 1 football teams.  A great class of freshmen looks even better if you don’t lose a dozen great players to the draft. 

Part of the job of a coach is to sell a prospect and his family on the advantages of coming to OSU.  Coach Tressel has been a great salesman much to the dismay of NFL general managers.  The number of players staying in school speaks very well for the quality of the individuals that Coach has recruited.  It also is another indication of the loyalty that Coach and his staff enjoy and deserve from their players. 

NFL scouts drooled over the professional potential of many of the OSU juniors that had played in two consecutive national championship games.  Only one redshirt junior has decided to go pro this year and that is great news for OSU fans. The ones that came back to wear the Scarlet and Gray again in 2008 have a great chance for a third trip to the national title game.

Based on most of the experts’ analysis before juniors announced their draft intentions, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins was the top prospect in that position in the draft.  At 6-1 he has the size that the pros are looking for now to cover the taller, more physical receivers.  His sub 4.5 speed in the 40, fluid hips and man to man cover ability limited his chances at interceptions.  Teams just wouldn’t throw his direction.  He showed a great deal of class and judgement in wanting to stay and get his degree.

Linebacker James Laurinaitis was the top prospect in that position as well.  Plato would call Laurinaitis the “essence” of inside linebackers.  His motor and combination of speed and strength are only overshadowed by his instincts and desire.  While the list of his awards is impressive, the leadership he provides on the field is impossible to overestimate.  He would have been the first linebacker taken and would have gone in the top 7 choices.

While both of those ratings could have been affected by the combine and pro day results, there is little doubt that both would have been high first round choices. 

Alex Boone, the three year starting tackle for the Bucks, projected as a late first or early second round choice this year.  He will benefit from another year of experience and should be a very solid pro.  He may struggle with smaller quicker pass rushers at the NFL level, but after he pancakes them three or four times in the first quarter, they will be a little less willing to try to sack the quarterback.

Brian Robiskie, the magician at wide receiver, could have been a top 5 wideout in the draft depending on his post season workouts.  His highlight film from last season had NFL scouts moving him up the draft board as a third down/possession receiver with his above average height and soft hands.  Most scouts believe he will run a 4.57-4.60 40.  If he did better than that in the combine, he would likely have been a late first round choice this year.

Quarterback Todd Boeckman continues to show his devotion to the Buckeyes.  While he did submit his paperwork to get an estimate of his draft potential this year, he made a great choice to stay and play one more year.  He will only get better in 2008 and should be among the highest rated passers this year.  He would have been a late 2^nd or early 3^rd round choice in this draft based on his single starting season in 2007.  The NFL tends to discount a single year starter at QB from painful experience.  The Bengals suffered from the lack of success that Akili Smith had when they drafted him.  He had one very good year at Oregon and went from an undrafted free agent before the season to the third overall pick in 1999.

Redshirt junior Steve Rehring (Guard) did what coaches wish all offensive linemen would—avoid notice.  The only time that interior linemen are noticed is when they give up a sack or are called for a penalty.  Rehring is a solid dependable blocker for the run and the pass.  Guards tend to be drafted later than tackles but before centers.  He would have been a 3^rd round choice based on his 22 starts for the Buckeyes.

On the defensive side of the ball, Marcus Freeman has already graduated but brings his great combination of size and speed back to a team that ranked #1 in total defense and in scoring defense in the NCAA for Division 1 in 2007.  He will again be a great compliment to the OSU linebacking group.  Freeman would likely have been taken before the middle pick of the second round if he had declared for this draft.

Of the three Buckeyes that have been invited to the NFL combine, Vernon Gholston shines the brightest.  He is the perfect fit for a combination linebacker/defensive end in the 3-4 defense.  Because he has a lot of experience as a stand up end, he will find both the Jets at #6 and the Patriots at #7 (the choice from San Francisco) very interested in him.  There is very little chance he will still be on the board after those choices.  He combines good size, great strength, unusual speed, exceptional athleticism, and experience.  He will have to work on man to man coverage as an outside linebacker, but his experience in dropping out of the pass rush in zone blitzes will help him in zone coverage.  Both the Jets and the Patriots love players with versatility and that is one of Gholston’s real strengths.  Could former Buckeye Mike Vrabel be a mentor for him at New England?

He could also be a Dwight Freeney (Colts) type end in a 4/3.  His extremely quick first step commands double teams by offenses.  Because of this, he may not even last until the 6^th choice.

Kirk Barton at 303 is a good prospect for right tackle in the NFL.  He is tenacious and tough.  He plays with strength and is very solid sealing the edge for runs to his side.  He lacks the quickness to handle some of the quicker pass rushing defense right ends in the next level so his ability to run block will be particularly important on the right side of the offense.  He may get his first play at right guard, which he could handle well.  It should not take long for him to get meaningful playing time.  Opinions on where he will be drafted vary greatly.  Most experts project him from the bottom of the third round to the middle of the fifth round.  Whoever drafts him will love his mean streak, which is critical aspect of the personality of a successful tackle.

Larry Grant was overshadowed by the bigger names on the OSU defense.  However, he is a player.  He played the strong side for the Buckeyes, which limited the number of big plays he could make.  He has good size and athletic ability but his 40 yard dash time will be critical to how high he is taken.  At the next level, he will be a special team star who is particularly adept at blocking kicks.  He had 9 blocked kicks between his Junior college and OSU careers.  He needs to work on his change of direction and quickness to the ball.  He lacks the great instincts that his OSU partners possess but is very bright and will continue to improve with experience and film study.  Most experts believe he will be a mid-7^th round choice or later.  Even if he ends up as a free agent, he will make some scout look very smart on the practice field.  He should make a final roster in the NFL next season.

As we get closer to the draft, we will publish a more detailed scouting report of our players going to the NFL.  In summary, if Terrelle Pryor (the top high school quarterback prospect now considering OSU and three other schools) wants to be part of a yearly run at a national championship, there is only one choice—The Ohio State University.