Three Ohio State Players Listed On Mel Kiper's Initial 2023 NFL Draft Big Board

The ESPN analyst expects C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Paris Johnson to be selected among the first 15 picks.

Author:
Andrew Lind
May 31, 2022 5:57 PM EDT

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Although we're only one month removed from the 2022 NFL Draft, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper is already looking forward to next year’s event, which will take place in Kansas City on April 27-29, as he released his first Big Board for the 2023 draft class on Tuesday afternoon.

Kiper is projecting that three current Buckeyes will come off the board in the first round, including redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud with the No. 3 overall pick behind Alabama linebacker Will Anderson and quarterback Bryce Young.

“It was Stroud, not Young, who led the FBS in Total QBR last season (91.6 to 87.6),” Kiper said. “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.”

Speaking of Smith-Njigba, Kiper has him going No. 5 overall. That would make him the third Ohio State wide receiver to be selected in the first round in a two-year span, joining Garrett Wilson (No. 10 overall) and Chris Olave (No. 11 overall) last month, and the highest-drafted wide receiver in school history, surpassing Terry Glenn, who went No. 7 overall in 1996.

“Smith-Njigba led Ohio State in catches and yards, even on a team with two wide receivers drafted in Round 1 in April,” Kiper said. “He averaged 16.9 yards per reception, showing stellar burst and explosiveness. He’s a hands catcher who can run the entire route tree and he can make defenders miss after the catch. Most of Smith-Njigba’s work came from the slot – all but eight of his catches came from when he was aligned there – but he’ll play more outside in 2022. He led the FBS in receiving yards per route run (4.0).”

Lastly, junior offensive lineman Paris Johnson makes an appearance at No. 15 overall, which is mostly a projection based upon his potential as he moves from guard to tackle this fall. Kiper suggested he may eventually climb his way up the rankings with a strong season, as well.

“Johnson was a stellar guard for the Buckeyes last season, but he’s going to move outside to left tackle in 2022,” Kiper said. “I think he could move all the way into the top 10. He has projectable traits and an ideal skill set for the position. He’ll also be helped by several really good edge rushers having left the Big Ten for April’s draft. I’m projecting Johnson to be one of the country’s top tackles this season.”

Kiper also released his positional rankings on Tuesday, with Smith-Njigba as the No. 1 player at his position and Stroud and Johnson as the second-best at their respective positions. The only other Buckeye on the list was senior Zach Harrison, who was actually projected by Kiper to be a first-round pick last year and was named his fourth-best draft-eligible defensive end this year.

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