5 best Ohio State players to watch out for in 2024 NFL draft ft. Marvin Harrison Jr. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes finished the 2023 season with an 11-2 record. It was their fourth season with at least 11 victories under head coach Ryan Day and their 17th double-digit-victory season since 2004.

While they defeated nationally ranked teams like Notre Dame and Penn State during the season, they couldn’t get over the hump against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes ended their season with a Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri.

Despite that finish, their performance helped some of their former players improve their stock for the 2024 NFL draft. Here are five former that Buckeyes could make a splash in the National Football League once they get drafted.

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5 best Ohio State players in 2024 NFL draft

NFL Mock Draft Database lists eight Ohio State players who have declared their inclusion in the 2024 draft. Here are the top athletes within that group:

#5. Josh Proctor, Safety

While he will be a rookie defensive back in 2024, Proctor brings six years of college football experience. He has been with Ohio State for so long that he was already in Columbus when Urban Meyer was the Buckeyes head coach.

Proctor finished his college football career with 112 tackles, 14 passes defended, three interceptions and a sack. He earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors last year and had a defensive touchdown against Maryland. Draft experts predict Proctor will get selected in the fifth or sixth round.

#4. Tommy Eichenberg, Linebacker

Eichenberg started making an indelible impact on the Ohio State defense in 2022 when he had career-highs in tackles (120), pass deflections (3) and sacks (2.5). It’s his only college football season with a defensive touchdown.

In his final year with the Buckeyes, he became the conference’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of The Year winner after posting 82 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. The two-time First Team All-Big Ten member could go off the draft board in the third or fourth round.

#3. Cade Stover, Tight End

The fifth-year senior had 82 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns for Ohio State. He earned most of those numbers during his fourth and fifth seasons with the Buckeyes, making him an intriguing prospect for the 2024 NFL draft.

He ended his college football career on a high note with 576 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers earned him First Team All-Big Ten honors and the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year trophy in 2023. Stover could be off the draft board by the third round.

#2. Michael Hall Jr., Defensive Tackle

Hall helped transform Ohio State’s defense into a national powerhouse. In his second season with the Buckeyes, he had 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. He followed it up with 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2023.

While those are not jaw-dropping numbers, NFL scouts are raving about him after he completed the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds during Ohio State’s pro day. Only four prospects weighing at least 290 pounds completed the drill in 4.75 seconds or better. That attribute, coupled with his disruptive strength, could land him in the second round.

#1. Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide Receiver

Harrison Jr. is hands down Ohio State’s best prospect for the 2024 NFL draft. While he did not participate during the Scouting Combine or the Buckeyes’ pro day, he’s letting his game tape speak for itself. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023.

He is the only All-American among the five players on this list, earning First Team selections in 2022 and 2023. Harrison Jr. is also a two-time First Team Big Ten member and the 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s best wideout.

He could be off the draft board early in the first round. Harrison Jr. could even go as high as No. 4 to the Arizona Cardinals, barring any trades for that spot from teams like the Minnesota Vikings or the Denver Broncos.