COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football opens the 2017 season on Aug. 31 at Indiana. We're counting down the top 50 Buckeyes for this season, taking into account talent, past accomplishments, team need and potential.
No. 10: Denzel Ward, Junior, Cornerback
Height, weight: 5-foot-10, 191 pounds.
Hometown: Macedonia.
Where he was ranked entering last season: Ward was No. 25, competing at the time with Marshon Lattimore to start at corner opposite Gareon Conley. The result? The three corners rotated, as Ward never started a game but was considered a co-starter by the coaches.
What he's done: He played well enough to warrant nearly as much playing time as two cornerbacks who would be taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That, rather than any stats, is the true measure of Ward's value a year ago.
"You would never take first-rounders off the field," corners coach Kerry Coombs said, "if the guy coming in wasn't as good."
So Ward was that good. He tied Lattimore for the team lead with nine pass breakups.
Previously, he was one of the four true freshmen to play from the Class of 2015, getting in 12 games as one of the best coverage men on special teams. He was a four-star prospect as the No. 26 cornerback and No. 10 recruit in Ohio for 2015.
Why Ward is No. 10: Like Dre'Mont Jones at No. 11, Ward is a player being touted as a potential first-round pick by some draft analysts. So you could argue he should be higher on this list. There will be Buckeyes ranked above him who don't have the kind of NFL potential he has with his elite speed. He'll contend to be the fastest player at the combine whenever he turns pro.
There are just some guys on this team, veterans in crucial roles at critical positions, that might have a slightly bigger effect on the game. Or maybe not. Starting from about No. 14, with defensive end Jalyn Holmes, and up through about No. 6, still to come, the rankings could have gone many ways. These are accomplished veterans with some untapped potential who are half-steps away from stardom. And there are a lot of them in that boat.
Ward is a necessary component to this defense and its aggressive man-to-man coverage. He's the leader in the corners room. And he's good. Really good.
"I took more of a leadership role with the young guys this year," Ward said. "I'm just trying to help this team out any way I can. Just talking to them, helping with communication and assignments on and off the field."
He could be the next star at cornerback. And the next first-rounder.
"I think it's a little pressure," he said of living up to the OSU first-round legacy (four in the last four years). "But also excitement. I'm excited to go out and play."
The top 50 Ohio State football players for 2017:
* Catch up with players 50-26 here.
* See players 25-11 here.
No. 10: Denzel Ward, CB
No. 9: Coming Sunday