Eight former Buckeyes invited to NFL scouting combine

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, right, celebrates his touchdown catch with quarterback C.J. Stroud during the second half in the Rose Bowl NCAA…

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, right, celebrates his touchdown catch with quarterback C.J. Stroud during the second half in the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Utah Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

by: Orri Benatar

Posted: Feb 8, 2023 / 12:11 PM EST

Updated: Feb 8, 2023 / 02:48 PM EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — 319 players have been invited to Indianapolis later this month to the NFL scouting combine and eight of them are former Buckeyes.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine is set to take place from Feb. 28 to Mar. 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in preparation for the NFL Draft in Kansas City from Apr. 27 to 29. The eight former Ohio State players set to participate are:

QB C.J. Stroud
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
OL Paris Johnson Jr.
OL Dawand Jones
OL Luke Wypler
DL Zach Harrison
DB Cam Brown
DB Ronnie Hickman Jr.

Stroud, Johnson Jr., and Smith-Njigba are tipped to be first round picks in April’s draft. All three could be picked within the top-15 selections and are all expected to be starters in their rookie seasons.

The Buckeyes have had at least one first round pick in each NFL Draft since 2016 while having at least eight players selected in three of the last four NFL Drafts.

All eight were part of a 2022 OSU team that finished the season 11-2 with defeats to Michigan in Columbus and Georgia in the college football playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.