The godfather of the NFL draft analysts is at it again, this time almost a year out from all the brouhaha that is the annual NFL draft. It’s only been a couple of weeks since we saw all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the 2022 version in Sin City, and now ESPN’s Mel Kiper is looking ahead to (clearly not Vegas) Kansas City for 2023.
And once again, YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes look to be well-represented. In fact, Kiper has three Buckeyes in his top fifteen of the top 25 big board (subscription required) for the next draft cycle.
We’re sure you can guess a couple of the players he has in the mix, and if you’ve followed other way-too-early mock drafts, you might have all three, but where does he have each ranked?
We’re ready to run through all three players for you, where Kiper has them ranked, and what he says about each.
C.J. Stroud, Quarterback
Predicting every Big Ten football team’s starting quarterback for 2022
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) calls a play during the first quarter of the NCAA football game against the Michigan State Spartans at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network
Mel Kiper Overall Prospect Ranking
No. 3
What Kiper Says
“It was Stroud, not Young, who led the FBS in Total QBR last season (91.6 to 87.6). Stroud had an inconsistent start to the season, but he finished on a tear, throwing 36 touchdown passes and just three picks in his final nine games. Can he improve even more in Year 2? He’s only scratching the surface of his talent, and he has a big-time wideout to throw to in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.”
What We Say
This could be too low for Stroud. Taking nothing away from Bryce Young, but Stroud has more God-given ability and he’s a late bloomer. Once he decided to focus solely on football, his development has taken off at Ohio State. He’s got a great chance of assaulting some of the single-passing records in the Big Ten and should be even better with his reads and…