Linebacker Jerome Baker is one of the Ohio State underclassmen who could leave early for the NFL. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Nine Ohio State underclassmen who could leave for the NFL
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There will be some Ohio State Buckeyes taking the field Saturday who will never go through Senior Day. They're too good to get there.
Here's our list of nine OSU underclassmen who could be playing their final home game against Illinois. While 19 seniors, including nine senior starters, will be honored officially before the game, these players may have to say their own silent goodbyes to the Horseshoe.
Tim Bielik, Bill Landis and I made a prediction on whether we think each player will stay at Ohio State for next season or leave for the NFL. Some are obvious, some are not. At the end, there's a poll on how many overall underclassmen you think will depart for the pros.
Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com
Sam Hubbard (6) and Dre'Mont Jones (86) are two OSU defensive linemen with NFL decisions to make. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Buckeyes lost six underclassmen after last season
Last year, six Buckeyes left early for the NFL: cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley, safety Malik Hooker, linebacker Raekwon McMillan, H-back Curtis Samuel and receiver Noah Brown.
We tried this exercise last year, and while we thought Lattimore, Conley, Hooker, McMillan and Samuel would leave, we didn't even include Brown on the list of possibilities. In the voting, the readers correctly picked six underclassmen as the number that the Buckeyes would lose.
That was better for the Buckeyes than 2015, when nine Ohio State underclassmen turned pro.
So here are our projections. There won't be nine guys leaving. But there will be losses.
Sam Hubbard (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Sam Hubbard, defensive end
The fourth-year junior was redshirted as a freshman when he was ready to play, so he shouldn't even have this choice. But he does. It's virtually impossible to imagine him staying. He could have reasonably headed to the NFL last year, but he came back and was named a captain, emerged as a leader and played very well. A pass-rushing end here, he has dropped in coverage a bit, and he knows he's going to be a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. He'll do that well and probably do it soon, and he should definitely be drafted in the first two rounds.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Leave
Johnnie Dixon (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Johnnie Dixon, receiver
This may surprise some that he's on this list, but Dixon's health will at least make him think about it. A redshirt junior, Dixon has broken out this season after nagging knee injuries basically wiped out the start of his career. He has speed and game-breaking ability that could interest NFL teams, and he might want to take his shot now while he's healthy. The Buckeyes would be happy to have him back as a fifth-year senior in 2018, though.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Stay
Doug: Stay
Parris Campbell (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Parris Campbell, H-back
Campbell's breakaway speed will entice NFL teams, where he could stand out as a return man. Imagine him on kick returns and as a third-down option offensively - he could be dangerous. He's so close to Dixon - the two have said they are like brothers - that their decisions could be somewhat connected. Sidelined by injuries for parts of three games, Campbell hasn't had quite the breakout season some expected, so he may want to take one more shot at truly becoming a dominant offensive player.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Stay
Denzel Ward (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Denzel Ward, cornerback
The true junior from Nordonia has had an exceptional year. He'll have a chance to be the fastest player at the NFL Combine and his elite one-on-one coverage skills have been on display all season. He'll join Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore as the latest cornerbacks coached by Kerry Coombs to go in the first round. He's so good, he basically has to leave.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Leave
Dre'Mont Jones (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Dre'Mont Jones, defensive tackle
Just a redshirt sophomore, the St. Ignatius grad has everything the NFL wants in a defensive tackle. He's a long, rangy athletic tackle like former Buckeye Adolphus Washington, who was a third-round pick in 2016. But Jones is a better player.
There's always a chance a redshirt sophomore could come back, and Jones only played two years of high school football. So maybe he'd want more seasoning. But he's a pass-rushing interior lineman who can also stop the run, and if he goes, he'll be drafted in the top two rounds.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Leave
Mike Weber (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Mike Weber, running back
Weber is a solid NFL prospect. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins will be a better NFL prospect. This situation could be like 2006, when freshman Beanie Wells and upperclassmen Antonio Pittman shared the running back duties. That was an effective two-headed attack, but everyone could see what Wells was going to be, and that he'd need the ball even more in the future.
So Pittman turned pro and was taken in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Weber flashed his improved speed Saturday, and he's a solid inside runner and good blocker. He'll get NFL interest. He's only a redshirt sophomore, but the context of the situation may factor into the decision.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Leave
Dante Booker (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Dante Booker, linebacker
Booker's career hasn't gone as he'd hoped. A solid special teamer who played as a true freshman, he waited his turn for two seasons. He earned a starting job for 2016, then was injured in the opener and lost for the season. This season he started again, but the linebackers have had problems at times. He missed the Michigan State game with an injury, and the linebackers played well in his absence.
He's a smart athlete with good size. If he hadn't been injured last year, he'd be out of eligibility now and going through Senior Day. He may just feel it's time to take a shot at the next level after some tough breaks here. Or he could come back as a veteran leader and potential captain.
Bill: Stay
Tim: Stay
Doug: Leave
Jerome Baker (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Jerome Baker, linebacker
The true junor was projected as a first-round pick before the season by many draft analysts, but he hasn't been as much of a dynamic playmaker as a junior compared to what he was as a sophomore. Baker burst on the scene a year ago, and he still has the skills that remind you of previous first-round Ohio State linebackers like Ryan Shazier and Darron Lee. But he doesn't seem quite like that sure-thing first-rounder at the moment.
Still, he's a gifted player who will almost certainly be drafted in the top two rounds when he goes, either now or as a senior next year.
Bill: Leave
Tim: Leave
Doug: Leave
Kendall Sheffield (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
Kendall Sheffield, cornerback
Sheffield hasn't had a great year, but he played his best game against Michigan State. So why is he on this list? A transfer to Ohio State this season, he had one year at Alabama and another at a junior college. That would make him eligible for the draft now as a sophomore. There was some thought before the season that Sheffield could be a one-and-done at Ohio State with a big year. He hasn't had that year, but you don't know what's in the mind of a player who is at his third school in three years.
Fellow cornerback Damon Arnette, a redshirt sophomore, could also go. He's in the same boat, a talented player who hasn't had a great year but is playing better lately. Arnette more fits the mold of the next OSU corner to start one year, become the No. 1 corner the next year, then go high in the draft. So we figure he'll stay.
But there is often a surprise player you don't see coming who declares. But our vote here is only on Sheffield.
Bill: Stay
Tim: Stay
Doug: Leave
How many OSU underclassmen will be saying goodbye after this season? Bill and I each arrived at seven Buckeyes leaving, while Tim said six.
Cast your vote.
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