Ohio State Wide Receiver Depth Decent Even With Loses

 

Ohio State Wide Receiver Depth Decent Even With Loses

Losing two veteran players like Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline would set many college football programs back, but Ohio State is loaded with young talent that will step up this spring and take the field this fall to create explosive offensive plays for the Buckeyes. Ray Small, Dane Sanzenbacher, DeVier Posey and Taurian Washington are some of the names competing for the starting sports this spring.

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Position superlatives: Ohio State

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Ohio State loses a large and decorated senior class, as well as three underclassmen (Chris "Beanie" Wells, Brian Hartline and Donald Washington) who would have been starters in 2009. There are holes on both sides of the ball, but Ohio State's ability to consistently produce elite defenses eases concerns there.
An offense that ranked 76th…
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Big Ten players at the NFL combine

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The official list of players invited to the 2009 NFL scouting combine later in Indianapolis has been finalized. The Big Ten will be sending 46 players to Indianapolis from Feb. 18-24.

Not surprisingly, Penn State and Ohio State led the way with eight participants each, followed by Wisconsin (7), Illinois (5) and Iowa (5). Minnesota is the lone Big Ten team not sending a player to Indy.

Here's the team-by-team rundown.

ILLINOIS (5)

• Cornerback Vontae Davis^
• Defensive end Will Davis
• Tackle Xavier Fulton
• Defensive end Derek Walker

INDIANA (1)

• Wide receiver Andrew Means^

IOWA (5)

• Center Rob Bruggeman
• Cornerback Bradley Fletcher
• Running back Shonn Greene^
• Defensive tackle Mitch King
• Guard Seth Olsen

MICHIGAN (4)

• Long snapper Sean Griffin
• Defensive end Tim Jamison
• Defensive tackle Terrance Taylor
• Cornerback Morgan Trent

MICHIGAN STATE (3)

• Quarterback Brian Hoyer
• Running back Javon Ringer
• Safety Otis Wiley

NORTHWESTERN (1)

• Running back Tyrell Sutton

OHIO STATE (8)

• Tackle Alex Boone
• Linebacker Marcus Freeman
• Wide receiver Brian Hartline^
• Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins
• Linebacker James Laurinaitis
• Wide receiver Brian Robiskie
• Cornerback Donald Washington
• Running back Chris Wells^

PENN STATE (8)

• Wide receiver Deon Butler
• Tackle Gerald Cadogan
• Defensive end Maurice Evans^
• Defensive end Aaron Maybin^
• Wide receiver Jordan Norwood
• Cornerback Lydell Sargeant
• Center A.Q. Shipley
• Wide receiver Derrick Williams

PURDUE (4)

• Defensive end Alex Magee
• Wide receiver Greg Orton
• Quarterback Curtis Painter
• Running back Kory Sheets

WISCONSIN (7)

• Tight end Travis Beckum
• Linebacker Jonathan Casillas
• Running back P.J. Hill^
• Guard Andy Kemp
• Linebacker DeAndre Levy
• Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy
• Guard Kraig Urbik

^–Underclassman

Who got snubbed from the combine? Here are a few names surprisingly left off the list: Illinois center Ryan McDonald, Iowa defensive tackle Matt Kroul, Minnesota punter Justin Kucek, Northwestern defensive tackle John Gill, Penn State guard Rich Ohrnberger, Purdue linebacker Anthony Heygood and Wisconsin cornerback Allen Langford.

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Recruiting needs: Ohio State Buckeyes

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The youth movement is under way in Columbus, and Ohio State likely will need the services of several incoming freshmen for the 2009 season.

The Buckeyes lose 28 seniors and three juniors who will enter the NFL draft a year early, freeing up playing time for talented young players on both sides of the ball. No one will beat out Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, but this will be Pryor's team in the fall, and the coaches will look to build around the uniquely talented rising sophomore.

Most of the immediate needs are located on the defensive side, where Ohio State loses four starters and several other contributors. All-American Malcolm Jenkins and one-time starter Donald Washington both depart, leaving the team a bit thin at cornerback. And while both Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell return at safety, Ohio State will need replacements for them in 2010.

The Buckeyes lose two mainstays at linebacker in James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, who combined for 630 tackles the last three seasons. Though several players look ready to step in, Ohio State must build depth in the defensive midsection through its 2009 class.

Dan "Boom" Herron will enter spring practice as the favorite to take over at running back, but there could be some carries for incoming recruits like Jaamal Berry and Carlos Hyde. The offensive line gets a lot younger in 2009, and while J.B. Shugarts and Mike Adams could join classmate Mike Brewster in the starting five, Ohio State will try to add pieces up front.

Ohio State also loses its top two wide receivers in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. While DeVier Posey, Ray Small, Dane Sanzenbacher and Lamaar Thomas look ready to step in, the Buckeyes would be well served to beef up their receiving corps.

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Ohio State’s Washington enters NFL draft

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State cornerback Donald Washington announced today that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Washington becomes the third Buckeyes junior to turn pro, joining running back Chris "Beanie" Wells and wide receiver Brian Hartline. Like Hartline, Washington probably didn't improve his draft stock this season but feels a part of the sizable senior class departing the program.

After being suspended for the first two games this fall for undisclosed reasons, Washington appeared in the team's final 11 contests, starting one. He had 22 tackles to go along with an interception and a 44-yard fumble return against Michigan State, but he lost his starting job to sophomore Chimdi Chekwa.

In a statement, Washington said he made a "difficult and emotional decision" to turn pro.

"I will especially, and most importantly, miss all of my teammates and brothers," Washington said. "I wish them nothing but the best and continued success. I would also like to give my word that I will uphold the Buckeye tradition of doing my best off the field, as well as my best in competing with the premier athletes around the world on the field in the NFL."

Chekwa likely would have entered 2009 as the starter, but Washington's departure combined with the graduation losses of Malcolm Jenkins and Shaun Lane thins out the Buckeyes' depth at the cornerback spot.

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Hartline leaving for NFL…..?

As I have often said I am not in favor of college football players leaving for the NFL unless they are a sure first round pick and more over I would prefer a lock for the top 20.  It’s not that I always think that the player is not physically ready but more often, not mentally or technically prepared for the rigors of the pros.

 

I was very curious to hear that Brian Hartline is going to pass up his senior year to pursue the NFL.  Please don’t get me wrong, I think Brian is a fine WR and a good young man with plenty of potential.  I also think that he has solid football fundamentals, technique, and a big heart and is tough as nails.  But I would not only not consider him a first round pick but I would be safe to say with some confidence, that he is probably not a first day pick.

 

We all know that the NFL looks for more than stats to analyze a player but they sure take a good look at on field production regardless of the style of offense the team ran.  Let’s look at Brian’s numbers: 13 games, 21 catches for 479 yards and 4 TDs; 3 rushes for 17 yards; 4 returns for 22 yards; an average of less then 2 catches per game for 22+ yards per catch.  Not bad numbers for a team that didn’t throw the ball very effectively all year but not numbers that are going to make scouts take notice.  His size is OK even though to be a possession receiver he would need to add some weight and his speed is deceiving but not in the 4.3 area that would make the scouts look twice.

 

Let’s throw those numbers out and consider some of the other things a young man would need to take into consideration to make this choice.  Did he play in a Pro style offense that would make the transition easier?  No, I don’t think you can say that.  How many other receivers coming out would be listed ahead of him in a ranking?  Well, considering the 119 D 1 teams, the seniors coming out and the other juniors who have also already committed and then throw in the smaller school wild card guys that do run 4.3’s and more than likely had better stats, I don’t know how you could say that Brian would be in the top 30 receivers which would take him off the draft board entirely.

 

To be fair we should consider some of the things in his corner that may support this decision:  He does have good size, great hands, good technique, decent speed and is one tough cookie.  He may be playing in an offense in 2009 that may again lack the passing attack that would highlight his talents with a QB that needs to develop his technique and delivery, which may take more than another year.  He may be close or already have his degree and feels he is ready to move on.  He may have completely other plans and figured he’d throw his hat in the ring to see what happens.

 

I always worry that these decisions are made in haste and with inaccurate information but I have always thought of Brian as a pretty level headed guy so I may be missing something and I hope I am.  I would love to see Brian come back for one more year and work on his body, his mental game and have his best stats year to date because he would be the go-to-guy.  Either way we wish Brian the best of luck and hope if he isn’t drafted, that he is picked up as a free agent and shows the team that gets him, what we all know….. He will give you 100%, he will do whatever the team needs and he is a winner.

 

Best of Luck Brian!

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Hartline To Enter NFL Draft

Wide receiver Brian Hartline announced Wednesday that he will enter his name into the 2009 NFL draft.
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Hartline Bolts for NFL

As expected, Brian Hartline announced he will enter the 2009 NFL draft, bypassing his senior year at Ohio State.
While some feel Hartline could have used another year before going to the pros, this move is not surprising as the fourth year junior is graduating and getting married this spring.
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Hartline Gone; Coleman, Small Staying

Brian Hartline has announced he’s going pro and Ray Small and Kurt Coleman are not.
My initial thoughts are that if the rumors of Hartline discontent with Pryor are true, then that’s the only choice he had. Being best friends with Todd Boeckman and seeing him lose his starting QB job to an upstart freshman certianly [...]
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Ohio State’s Hartline decides to turn pro

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State junior wide receiver Brian Hartline announced today that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Hartline is the second Ohio State player to turn pro early, joining running back Chris "Beanie" Wells. He ranked second on the team in touchdown catches (4) and tied for second in receptions (21) this fall.

"I am thrilled to declare my eligibility for the National Football League draft," Hartline said in a statement. "Everyone involved within The Ohio State University football program has done a tremendous job for me. I want to thank all of them, particularly coach [Jim] Tressel, for helping me to succeed as both a student and an athlete during my time here. I would especially like to thank the media and the fans of Ohio for being great to me and to my family throughout my career.

"I have had an outstanding experience at OSU and am thankful for the support I continue to receive. I now look forward to testing myself against the top competitors in the National Football League. "

Hartline didn't improve his draft stock this season, as Ohio State ranked 105th nationally in pass offense (150.2 ypg) and his receptions total dropped significantly. But his decision to turn pro isn't a huge surprise, namely because Hartline seemed to feel part of the Buckeyes' outgoing senior class.

He redshirted in 2005 but went through school with players like fellow wideout Brian Robiskie and quarterback Todd Boeckman. It's not to say Hartline wouldn't have had a big 2009 season alongside Terrelle Pryor, but many of his peers would no longer be on the roster.

Hartline's departure accelerates Ohio State's youth movement on the depth chart.

This will definitely be Pryor's team in 2009, and you can expect Pryor's peers like running back Dan Herron and wide receivers DeVier Posey and Lamaar Thomas to take on enhanced roles.

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