Opinion: OSU’s 2016 draft class has much to accomplish to be elite

Please follow and like us: Former OSU and current San Diego Chargers defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) celebrates after making a sack during a game against Maryland on Oct. 4, 2015 in College Park, Md. Credit: Lantern file photo One of the largest storylines from the 2016 NFL draft was the unequivocal presence of the Ohio State football program. The 12 OSU players selected in the three-day event in Chicago last weekend set numerous records and added to coach Urban Meyer’s impressive mark of former players picked in the draft which, now, totals over 80. Truly, no one knows the worth of a draft class until approximately three years after that draft. But on the surface, OSU’s NFL-record-breaking group stacks up against the top draft classes ever produced by any one school. Matched up against former OSU classes, the 2004 and 2006 draft groups are regarded as two of the best in school history. OSU’s 2004 class, oddly, is very similar to the 2016 group. Each manufactured a championship the year before it entered the draft and then failed to repeat the following year after entering the season as overwhelming favorites. The 2004 class produced three first-rounders in defensive end Will Smith, cornerback Chris Gamble and wide receiver Michael Jenkins, but the bulk of the class came in the later rounds. OSU saw an NFL-record 14 players selected in 2004, which still stands as the all-time mark by one school…

Continue Reading: Opinion: OSU’s 2016 draft class has much to accomplish to be elite