9 Buckeyes Go Undrafted in 2023 NFL Draft | Ohio State Buckeyes Undrafted Free Agent Tracker
Safety Ronnie Hickman and cornerback Cameron Brown were among the nine former Ohio State Buckeyes who didn't hear their names called in the seven-round, 259-pick NFL Draft, but their journeys aren't necessarily over just yet.
Defensive linemen Jerron Cage and Taron Vincent, safety Tanner McCalister, linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV, tight end Mitch Rossi, long snapper Bradley Robinson and kicker Noah Ruggles also weren't selected, but after the conclusion of the draft, NFL teams are now able to negotiate and sign players as free agents.
After leading the Buckeyes with a triple-digit number of tackles in 2021, Hickman's number of tackles dropped to 53 last season but still had a productive season with a team-high seven pass breakups, an interception, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, and 1.5 tackles for loss. He was named a Second Team Associated Press All-American in 2022.
Brown was limited to just eight games last season, but in that time he got his hands on the football, breaking up five passes which was tied for the second most on the Buckeyes last season.
Cage had 1.5 sacks, tied for the 38th-best and 21st-best defensive and run defense grades of any interior defensive lineman last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Vincent had the most tackles of any Ohio State interior defensive lineman last season with 25, 2.5 of which for loss, with 0.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery against Iowa last season.
McCalister came over with Knowles from Oklahoma State before last year and played a pivotal role in one of the three safety positions in the 4-2-5 scheme, leading the Buckeyes with three interceptions last season — two of which came against the Hawkeyes Oct. 22, 2022.
Gaoteote, who transferred from USC before the 2021-22 season, recorded 18 tackles as mainly a special teams player in his two-year Ohio State career. Last season, 159 of Gaoteote's 210 total snaps were spent on either kick coverage, kick return, punt return or point after tries, according to Pro Football Focus.
Rossi was stuck behind a backlogged tight end room, lining up at fullback on occasion, scoring two of his three career touchdowns last season — one on a 1-yard run and a 3-yard reception.
The six-season Buckeye was caught up in two of Ohio State's botched fake punt attempts — one where he was supposed to take the snap against Michigan but it was snapped to punter Jesse Mirco instead and another where Georgia head coach Kirby Smart called a timeout before the snap.
Robinson was the only player last season that had a longer collegiate tenure than Rossi. After transferring to Ohio State from Michigan State in the summer of 2017, he played in 26 games the last three seasons and seven games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Iowa.
Ruggles' final kick of his career — a 50-yard miss against Georgia that would've sent Ohio State to the national championship — isn't indicative of his two years in Columbus. The "Buckeye for life" connected on 37 of his 41 field goal attempts for the best field goal percentage in program history, scoring 259 points on 148-for-149 on extra point attempts.
You can see each Buckeye that signs and where they are signing below:
SAF Ronnie Hickman, Cleveland Browns
SAF Tanner McCalister, Cleveland Browns
CB Cameron Brown, Los Angeles Chargers
DL Jerron Cage, New Orleans Saints
DL Taron Vincent, Los Angeles Rams
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