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Devy Notes: Buckeyes for Breakfast

Bruce Matson Posted On July 9, 2020
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Ohio State has historically hosted one of the toughest wide receiver corps to evaluate. Throughout the years, they have done a good job of recruiting talent while also spreading the ball around letting everyone get the chance to see some touches. This has caused prospects to not breakout metrically the way we want them too. Some of their wide receiver prospects stay an extra year and enter the draft older than what we are used to.

Recently, we’ve seen Michael Thomas and Terry McLaurin hit at the NFL level. Metrically, they didn’t possess the usual indicators of breaking out. However, they’ve proved to be better than advertised. The jury is still out for McLaurin since he was just a rookie last season, but the rules are still the same – we have to put the white-kid-gloves on when evaluating Ohio State wide receivers.

THE RETURNING VETERANS

Chris Olave, WR

Olave enters the 2020 season as the veteran of the wide receiver group. He led the team with 840 receiving yards which allowed him to own a 23.05 percent market share of Ohio State’s passing production. On top of that, he managed to score 12 touchdowns.

READ: Chris Olave: The Forgotten Buckeye in Devy Leagues

With KJ Hill, Binjimen Victor, and Austin Mack hitting the happy trails to the NFL, they are now leaving 166 vacated targets in the passing offense. Olave will get the chance to step into a much larger role this year. With a cast of much less experienced wide receivers around him, we could see him take a massive step forward in production.

What we saw on display back in 2019 was Olave’s ability to get downfield and track the ball while it’s in the air to make the catch. He routinely gets behind the defense. His concentration while the ball is in the air is impeccable. There aren’t many receivers in college football who can make a play on the ball while contested like Olave. One of the reasons why he can make those tough grabs look easy is his ability to time his approach to the football. Another reason why he’s able to remain a reliable option in the passing game is he routinely sees the ball land in his hands while also securing it before he makes his move.

The most underrated part of his game is his route running. Olave does a good job of setting up defenders before breaking off his route by using his eyes, head, and his body to freeze the defender before making his break. Everything is quick and subtle with no wasted movement. We could see him take a massive step forward if he develops his game from what he displayed in 2019.

Garrett Wilson, WR

Wilson is possibly the most anticipated devy prospect returning from last year’s roster. He has already shown flashes of greatness. His ability to outleap defenders and make tough contested catches look easy made him a very valuable devy prospect with a 20.00 Devy ADP. Although it was a year where he caught just 30 passes for 432 yards and five touchdowns, it’s still very impressive when considering he was a freshman wide receiver who was able to be productive in an offense that has a history of dispersing the passing targets between multiple receivers.

Wilson is a big play waiting to happen. He’s clutch in big-time moments. I like his aggressiveness at the catch point. Even though he was a freshman, he wasn’t going to let anyone prevent him from getting to the football. That’s because he’s a natural at attacking the football while it’s in the air. His hands are like vice grips. The ball instantly sticks to his palms when it hits his hands.

His route running is very underappreciated. For a true freshman wide receiver, he did a very good job at setting up defenders before making his break. He’s also very assertive when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks which allows him to create more of a cushion between him and the defender. By nature, he’s an aggressive player and welcomes the extra physicality that comes with press coverage.

247Sports rated him as a five-star prospect and the second wide receiver in the 2019 recruiting class behind Oklahoma’s Jadon Haselwood. With him being a decorated recruit entering the college football scene, there was a lot of anticipation around him suiting up as a Buckeye. Ohio State fans weren’t the only ones interested in his services – he received offers from 33 different FBS programs.

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Image from ESPN.

When the ball is in the air and its time to box out a defender to make the grab, his 34.9 vertical jump allows him to climb the ladder and pluck balls right out of the air. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but as he grows more into his body, we should see him get faster. I highly doubt, he will be overly slow when it comes time for him to compete at the combine.

Personally, I like Wilson. I think he has plenty of upside. He has the potential of developing into one of the best pass-catchers in college football. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him selected in the first round of the draft in the next couple of years.

ALL-WORLD FRESHMAN CLASS

We can thank Brian Hartline for taking a major part in recruiting one of the best wide receiver classes we’ve seen in quite some time. Not only is the 2020 wide receiver class outstanding, but they are on the verge of nailing the 2021 recruiting class as well. Time will tell how Ohio State will be able to implement the added talent into their passing offense. This will leave all eyes on the Buckeyes for the foreseeable future.

There’s a lot of value in Ohio State’s freshman class. We could see two or three of these players make an impact on Sundays. All of these prospects have the potential of developing into a top tier draft prospect. If you thought Ohio State wide receivers were tough to evaluate wait until you have to evaluate this phenomenal group of receivers.

Julian Fleming, WR

247Sports crowned Fleming as the top wide receiver recruit in this year’s recruiting class, giving him a five-star rating. We could very well see him start for the Buckeyes early in his career. Fleming is a good route runner with solid hands. He exercises good body control when the ball is in the air. His blend of size and explosiveness could allow him to develop into one of the top wide receivers in college football as early as his freshman season.

Fleming is college-ready. He is already being valued in his 42.67 ADP. His high school highlight tape is very impressive. What I like best about his game are his ball skills. He demonstrates great strength at the catch point while demonstrating a “my-ball” mentality. That attitude appears after the catch, where he’s working his hardest to gain as many yards as possible.

At the Opening Regionals back in 2019, he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash while also posting a 40-inch vertical. He doesn’t have elite-level speed, but he’s more than fast enough to burn defensive backs. His vertical shows up in his game during contested-catch situations and should set him apart from the rest of the wide receivers on the roster.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR

Ohio State managed to reel in another five-star recruit. Smith-Njigba is a college-ready wide receiver prospect who could make his presence felt as early as his freshman season. Compared to Fleming, he’s more refined as a route runner and is much more urgent when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks. He’s not as strong at the catch point, but he’s more than capable of rising up to making the catch.

At the Opening, he delivered a 4.50 40-yard dash and a 36-inch vertical along with a 4.08 shuttle. He won’t be the most athletic player on the field but he wins with great technique and urgency. There aren’t many wide receiver recruits who will have as smooth as hands as Smith-Njigba.

He has the potential to develop into the alpha of this group. With him not being selected in the top 60 of DLF Devy ADP, Smith-Njigba is a much better value than Fleming. After all, he was rated the fifth-best wide receiver in the 2020 class by 247Sports and produced an insane 103 catches for 2,162 yards and 35 touchdowns during his senior season at Rockwall High School.

Gee Scott Jr., WR

Scott is a refined route runner who also has the speed to take the top off the defense. He’s very technical with his release and getting in and out of his breaks. Not to mention he can pluck the ball out of the air with ease. He’s very assertive when the ball is in the air and is always looking to take it to the house after the catch.

247Sports gave him a four-star rating and ranked him as the tenth best wide receiver in this year’s recruiting class. Scott has a lot of potential and could develop into a key contributor to the team sooner than later. We rarely see him get selected in any of DLF’s five-round devy mock drafts. Ironically, I wouldn’t be surprised if he develops into a better wide receiver than Fleming and Smith-Njigba.

Mookie Cooper, WR

247Sports gave Cooper a four-star rating and ranked him 16th in this year’s recruiting class. He’s a dynamic playmaker who draws some comparisons to Curtis Samuel. At 5-foot-8 and 193 pounds, Cooper has a nice compact frame that allows him to transition to a running back when he gets the ball in his hands. He’s very explosive and can make defenses pay if he gets the ball in open space. He’s a good route runner but will need to develop this area of his game if he wants to become a reliable target in Ohio State’s passing game.

Cooper is a very aggressive player. He will win at all costs at the catch point. His speed combined with his thick build reminds me a lot of Jalen Reagor. If he can get a little bit faster and develop his route running, he could become a top tier dynasty option. There’s a lot of competition for targets in Ohio State’s passing offense. There’s a chance he could be on the outside looking in, but if he can gain a scalable snap share, then his draft stock could immediately elevate.

THE 2021 RECRUITING CLASS

Ohio State is on pace to deliver another star-studded wide receiver class. On top of having hard four-star commits Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes are in the running of landing Emeka Egbuka who is the top-ranked wide receiver prospect in the nation. A lot can change between now and then considering there’s a big chance he could pivot to Clemson or Oklahoma. The fact that they are still in the running for another top-shelf talent when their roster is already bursting with playmakers is incredible.

THE ANCILLARY JABRONIS

These wide receivers aren’t gaining much traction in devy circles, but are worth noting just in case they exceed expectations. Jameson Williams is a track star who has plenty of speed. He provides an extra gear to the offense. We could see him playing a much bigger role in 2020. He’s currently forgotten by most devy enthusiasts which could quickly change if he starts making plays on the field.

Kamryn Babb is a very talented redshirt sophomore who had his career derailed with injuries, preventing him from taking a snap in his two-year career at Ohio State. During the recruiting process, he was labeled as the 13th best wide receiver recruit in the 2018 class. The four-star prospect was ranked over Ja’Marr Chase, Seth Williams, and even Rondale Moore. The competition is getting stiff and he will need to put it together in order for him to gain any traction with Ohio State.

CJ Saunders is still hanging around the roster. We should see him play some snaps throughout the season, but it’s highly unlikely that he gets involved with the starting rotation. The same could be said for Elijah Gardiner who was apart of Ohio State’s 2017 recruiting class. He hasn’t flashed enough during his tenure at Ohio State to be deemed a reasonable threat to dethrone any of the young talent on the team.

Jaylen Harris is a 6-foot-5 senior who could work his way into the mix. His size will make him a tremendous red-zone option. However, he hasn’t been productive during his three-year-career with just five catches for 54 yards.

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