Tag: A.J. Hawk

Highest rated Ohio State football players in college football video game history

Highest rated Ohio State football players in college football video game history #GoBucks

A teaser trailer dropped for the new upcoming EA Sports College Football video game and despite seeing very little gameplay and details, the anticipation is at an all-time high. At this point, gamers who have waited a decade just want the playoffs and transfer portal added and would be happy with the graphics from the past generation of consoles.

According to the trailer, we can expect a full reveal this May and the game to hit shelves this summer, but if you are like me, you are too much of a pessimist to believe it. Nonetheless, it is fun to take this opportunity to look back on some of the highest-rated Ohio State football players in this game’s history. The craziest part of this list is that a now current coach on the staff is tied as the highest Buckeye ever rated.

The last game came out in 2013 and it is a real shame we missed out on studs like Nick Bosa, Chase Young and of course C.J. Stroud, but it will be interesting to see who some of the top guys are this year.

Four Ohio State football players named to the Lombardi Award watch list

More Buckeyes on a watch list. You don’t say #GoBucks

The preseason honors keep coming for the [autotag]Ohio State football team[/autotag].

It seems as if every day that another award puts out their watch list, and with it, another day where multiple Buckeyes have the potential to bring some hardware back home to Columbus.

Today, it was the [autotag]Lombardi Award[/autotag], given out annually to the top lineman in college football. The last Ohio State star to win the award was linebacker [autotag]A.J. Hawk[/autotag] back in 2005. The first winner of the award was Buckeye great [autotag]Jim Stillwagon[/autotag] in 1970.

Find out below which four current Buckeyes made the watch list along with who has the best chance to break the Ohio State drought.

The top-graded draft prospects at each position since 2004

Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon reveals his top-graded draft prospects at each position since 2004

On a recent radio appearance, I was asked an intriguing question.

“Who was the best prospect you’ve ever graded?”

I’ve been evaluating prospects and covering the NFL draft professionally since 2004, which meant the 2023 draft was my 20th. The question and the timeframe was a nice catalyst to go back and examine some of the older evaluations.

To answer the question directly, my highest-graded player ever was Wisconsin OT Joe Thomas in 2007. The grading scales and systems I use have changed over the years, but Thomas topped any iteration.

Here are the top-graded players from my evaluations at each position since the 2004 NFL draft.

Former Saints Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham injured in Miami cycling accident

Former Saints Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham was injured after being struck by a car while cycling in Miami, but he expects to make a full recovery:

What’s Jimmy Graham up to these days? The fan-favorite former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler is becoming something of a world traveler, having earned his pilot license and taken up small-aircraft flying as a hobby when he was still wearing black and gold. His old friend A.J. Hawk shared an update on the Pat McAfee Show this week, adding that Graham expects to make a full recovery after being injured in a Miami car accident.

Since shifting his focus away from football and towards other pursuits, Graham has taken up sailing and professional cycling, and Hawk says he’s currently training to sail around the world within the year. But those plans have been interrupted by a gnarly injury after being struck by a car while out on his bike.

Hawk described a nasty muscle injury to Graham’s calf, saying of the accident, “He was riding his bike down in Miami yesterday, or two days ago, he says a car turns left, hits him, takes him out. He says he did more damage to the car than the car did to him.”

Graham commented on the accident himself after Hawk broke the news, saying on Instagram that, “My body has certainly built up a callus for punishment over the years. I’ll be fine. Stay safe out there.”

Here’s to a speedy recovery for the former Saints standout. Graham won Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition with the Saints in 2011 and 2013, though a contract dispute frayed his relationship with the team and head coach Sean Payton, prompting his trade to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He bounced around the league for a few years after that, spending time with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, but he’s been out of the league since 2021. From the sounds of it, he’s determined to see the world and enjoy his retirement from pro football. We’ll wish him the best.

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Five of Ohio State football’s most memorable games vs. Northwestern

Five of Ohio State football’s most memorable games vs. Northwestern #GoBucks

The Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Northwestern Wildcats for the 80th time in program history on Saturday at noon ET. Ohio State is 64-14-1 against their fellow Big Ten member.

The largest margin of victory for the Buckeyes was in 1981 when Ohio State dominated Northwestern, 70-6 under Earle Bruce. The largest margin of victory in favor of the Wildcats took place in 1958 when Northwestern won 21-0 under Ara Parseghian.

The first meeting between the two programs was in 1913 and was a Buckeye blowout win, 58-0 under John Wilce. The longest win streak Ohio State has held over the Wildcats was 24 victories from 1972 to 2003.

But what are some of the most memorable meetings between the two? Here are five of them as we take you down memory lane.

Highest rated Ohio State football players in “NCAA Football” video game history

Highest rated Ohio State Buckeyes in NCAA video game history #GoBucks #NCAAFootball

The NCAA video game series has been a pillar in many households since 1998 and for some even before that during the days of “Bill Walsh College Football.” It was downright devastating when EA Sport stopped producing the game after “NCAA ’14.”

The game — or a version thereof — is scheduled to return in time for the 2023 season and I just simply can’t wait. It got me wondering who the ten highest-rated Ohio State football players were in the video game’s history. It is important to remember that no names were used for the rosters, but we can make some safe assumptions that QB No. 2 would have been Terrelle Pryor. It’s part of the reason EA Sports had to stop making the game.

Another item of note is that it is extremely hard to find any rosters before the 2004 version, but I feel I exhausted my options and found the best results. I also want to note that the first “Bill Walsh College Football” game didn’t even have Ohio State and instead had an odd copycat team named Columbus. There were no individual player ratings and therefore that game was not used. Oh, and don’t forget, NCAA games were labeled a year in advance so the 2005 version of the game is actually for the 2004 season. Got it? No, maybe — sort of?

Let’s move forward anyway with the top ten rated Ohio State football players in the history of the “NCAA Football” video game franchise.

Top five NFL combine vertical jump performances by Ohio State players all time

Top five NFL combine vertical jump performances by Ohio State players all time.

The 2022 NFL scouting combine took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it always provides a unique, stress-inducing showcase for future NFL players. The combine is typically the most important part of the pre-draft process for many NFL prospects and serves as the most important job interview these young men may have in their lives.

Any seasoned NFL scout will tell you the combine is not the end all be all and is just a part of the process, but fans love the idea of the underwear Olympics and seeing some of these freak athletes accomplish insane feats in the bench press, shuttle run, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump.

The following are the top five vertical jump performances by former Ohio State football players. We are only tracking numbers from the NFL scouting combine and not from pro days and only numbers since the NFL scouting combine moved to Indianapolis in 1987.

More Buckeye best NFL combine performances: Bench Press, Shuttle, 40-Yard Dash.

*THIS YEAR’S PERFORMANCES WILL NOT BE INCLUDED

Top five NFL Combine shuttle performances by Ohio State players

Top five NFL Combine shuttle performances by Ohio State players #GoBucks

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine starts this week in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it always provides a unique and stress-inducing showcase for future NFL players. The combine is typically the most important part of the pre-draft process for many NFL prospects and serves as the most important job interview these young men may have in their lives.

Any seasoned NFL scout will tell you that the combine is not the end all be all and is just a part of the process, but fans love the idea of the underwear Olympics, and seeing some of these freak athletes accomplish insane feats in the bench press, shuttle run, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump.

The following are the top five shuttle performances by former Ohio State football players. We are only tracking numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine and not from pro days and only numbers since the NFL Scouting Combing moved to Indianapolis in 1987.

More Buckeye best NFL Combine performances: Bench Press

Top ten highest drafted outside linebackers in Ohio State football history

Who are the top ten highest-drafted outside linebackers in Ohio State football history? We run through the list for you.

The 2021 NFL draft is over and we witnessed Justin Fields be selected in the first round, but the next highest former Buckeye drafted was outside linebacker Pete Werner in the second round. It got me thinking how many more outside linebackers in Ohio State history were drafted that high or higher.

To determine the highest-drafted outside linebackers was not as easy as quarterback, because a few of the players listed played defensive end at Ohio State, but were drafted with the intention of playing outside linebacker. Same with some of the players that primarily played on the inside during their NFL career as they were draft with the intent of playing on the outside.

Ohio State football well represented in ESPN’s list of eighty best defenders of the 2000s

ESPN put together a list of the best eighty defenders in the college game from the 2000s and Ohio State football is well represented.

It’s no secret that the Ohio State football program has had some extremely talented players that have gone on to make a name for themselves at the next level. And it’s on both sides of the ball really. However, the defensive side of the ball has produced perhaps a little more top-notch talent that has made a pretty big splash both in college and in the NFL.

And Buckeye fans aren’t the only ones that have noticed. ESPN’s Bill Connelly put together a list of the 80 best college defenders of the 2000s, and Ohio State is very well represented with five players on appearing. We could nitpick this all day as you’ll see, but it’s a fine effort from the resident ESPN expert analytical guru.

So let’s get right into it and pour through the OSU players and where they rank on Connelly’s list.

NEXT … Bigger Bear off the edge

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