Thoughts, notes, and other scribblings from Ohio State's pro day

Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, and other Buckeyes showed what they had in front of NFL personnel, so what stood out?

There was a ton going on today as Ohio State Football held its pro day ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

In a class where we are likely to see at least 14 Ohio State players drafted, there was much to take note of. This includes potential first rounders like wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive linemen Josh Simmons and Donovan Jackson, and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.

You can find the full results of the event here:

The facility was jam-packed with NFL head coaches and general managers, former Ohio State standouts like 2024 third overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., and media alike. As a resident of Columbus, Ohio, it would be irresponsible of me not to be one of those media members. This marks my second straight year attending the event.

So here are some of the biggest things that caught my attention:

Emeka Egbuka stamps his NFL Draft first round status

We knew Emeka Egbuka was not a burner from his tape. But he cleared the 4.5-second threshold today during his 40-yard dash and that is more than enough for how he wins.

He also burned a 4.12-second short shuttle, leapt to a 38-inch vertical jump, and looked extraordinary on every route run during Will Howard’s throwing session. And how did he respond? I heard him talking to someone in the agents and media section after he tested and he said, “I’m kind of pissed about it, actually.”

Egbuka flat-out should not make it out of the first round, and if he does that would be one of the easiest cards for the Cleveland Browns to run to the podium to start the second round of the NFL Draft. Draft him and let him put his Z/slot versatility and wits over the middle on full display.

Josh Simmons shows he’s on track after patellar tendon tear

The likely first round offensive tackle did not do any testing except for the bench press as he continues to recover from his season-ending knee injury. However, slamming out 34 reps of 225 pounds with over 34-inch arms is nothing to scoff at.

Simmons did, however, go through some movement drills in front of scouts, a massive selling point of his game. His offensive line coach worked him through some light warmups like karaoke and high knees, then he even worked through some kicks and re-directs to put his explosiveness and change of direction on display.

The NFL is starved for offensive tackle talent, and despite the injury, Simmons has legitimate high-upside athletic traits and excellent tape before his injury. He’s going to go in the first round.

DT Ty Hamilton looks the part

Currently mocked as a Day 3 pick, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton looks like an NFL talent. He put on a show.

While he is a bit of a stiff and linear athlete (and that showed in both his agility drills), there is no doubt about his explosiveness and heavy-handedness after today. Hamilton burned a sub-5-second 40-yard dash, landing him in the 88th percentile among all defensive tackles historically. His 10-yard split landed him in the 89th percentile.

Hamilton also hammered out 35 reps of 225 on the bench press, hit 9-foot-3 on his broad jump, and looked stout getting out of his stance on the field. His Relative Athletic Score comes out quite high as a result of his pro day showing.

He likely has a role as a rotational player and stout run defender at the next level, but some team is going to get a football player. We’ll see just how high that will be and if he sneaks into the backend of Day 2.

Thoughts on Will Howard’s throwing session

Pro day throwing sessions are extremely rehearsed, practiced, and designed to make the quarterback look good. So when a quarterback goes out and looks sharp, that is to be expected. And that’s exactly how Howard looked.

His receivers were his ultimate hype men. His teammates have much love for him. He even stopped his throwing session early on to ask for the music to be turned up louder for him and his receivers to hit their stride.

They ran a script from jet motion flats to running back Texas routes to vertical shots down the field, to even off-platform boundary throws for the NFL Draft hopeful. Overall, Howard looked sharp, and I was impressed by his ability to leverage landmarks when throwing the ball deep down the field (but this isn’t necessarily a surprise given his Weighted On-Target Percentage profile).

Some of his deep balls had a bit of a quacky nature to them, fluttering through the air. But for the most part, Howard through a tight and accurate football to every level of the field.

It wouldn’t shock me to see a team take a shot on Howard as early as the third round in the 2025 NFL Draft next month.

Couple of underclassmen put on a show

It’s always cool to see underclassmen participate in the pro day as well (Ohio State lets highly touted guys one year away from draft eligibility do so). This year, two stood out to me:

Wideout Carnell Tate and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson.

Tate looks like the next first round wide receiver out of Ohio State. While his tape show some needed improvements with catch consistency (this tends to be volatile year-to-year anyway) and some tracking issues down the field, his movement skills at his size are so pure.

Jackson is going to finally get his chance out of the shadows of the two five-stars and will be in the starting lineup next year. He is long and explosive, putting excellent fluidity and bend on display during the bag drill. I’m excited to see what a year as the full-time starter does for his NFL Draft stock in 2025.

Other random notes

• After opting not to test at the NFL combine, the only testing event that EDGE Jack Sawyer did at the pro day was the bench press. For a player who already looks stiff and a bit slow on tape, this doesn’t necessarily answer any questions.

• I like Jordan Hancock. Some team is going to draft him on Day 3 and get a pretty solid nickel out of him.

• RT Josh Fryar tested off the charts and looked athletic in the on-field drills too. There are obvious deficiencies in his game, but the two-year starter likely landed himself in the conversation as a late-round pick or priority undrafted free agent after his NFL combine snub.

• DT Tyleik Williams pulled up on his 40-yard dash run, and it looked bad after he had to be helped off the turf. He took to social media, however, to confirm he just cramped up and is completely fine.

• We are running out of boxes that RB TreVeyon Henderson has not checked. He’s explosive, is excellent in pass protection, catches the ball well, and possesses the agility to cut on a dime and turn a corner with ease. He’s done nothing for me to move off of him as the third-best running back in this class.