Tag: J.T. Tuimoloau

Titans select edge rusher in Draft Wire’s 2024 mock

Draft Wire has the Titans picking inside the top 10 in their recent 2024 mock draft.

We’re exactly one week away from the Tennessee Titans kicking off the 2023 season against the New Orleans Saints on September 10th.

This should be a time full of excitement and intrigue toward the upcoming season. Yet, some choose to spend their time attempting to predict the future, more specifically, when it comes to the NFL draft.

Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire was recently tasked with creating a first-round 2024 mock draft for all 32 teams, and it’s evident by his having the Titans picking inside the top 10 that he’s not expecting much out of them this season.

Popejoy has Tennessee selecting “the powerful strong-side edge rusher from Ohio State,” J.T. Tuimoloau, with the No. 8 overall pick.

Here’s some strengths and weaknesses for 6-foot-4, 270-pound pass rusher, per Damian Parson of The Draft Network:

Strengths:

Blend of size, strength, and athleticism

Instincts

Versatility

Concerns:

Pass-rush plan

Pad level

Hip flexibility

I personally have minimal interest in trying to predict next year’s draft before the season even begins, but there’s no denying that this is the type of addition that could take Tennessee’s already stout defense to an entirely different level.

With that said, let’s hope the Titans aren’t picking anywhere near the range where Tuimoloau will likely get drafted next April. Otherwise, that likely means something went terribly wrong throughout the 2023 campaign.

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Draft Wire predicts seven Buckeyes in first round of 2024 NFL mock draft

USA Today’s Draft Wire’s latest first-round NFL mock draft features seven Ohio State football players going in the first round.

With Week 1 of college football getting underway and the NFL preseason wrapping up, USA Today’s Draft Wire updated its 2024 NFL mock draft.

Preseason mock drafts are a tough projection to make because many things will change throughout the season. However, they are a good way to evaluate how much top-tier talent a college football team has.

The Buckeyes have sent a great deal of talent into the NFL in recent years. In fact, they’ve had at least one player in every draft since 2015, including multiple first rounders in seven of the last eight draft classes.

This mock draft projects Ohio State to produce a record number of first-round picks: Seven Buckeyes come off the board in this mock draft. Here are the Buckeyes who made the list.

Five Ohio State football players make PFF’s preseason All-American teams

Five Buckeyes projected to make the All-American teams with two more honorable mention?!? #GoBucks

Another day, another group of [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] players getting selected on a preseason All-American team.

This time it’s Pro Football Focus, who not only picked five Buckeyes to have those honors, but also had two more as honorable mention. You can probably guess at least one who is on the first team. Hint, he wears No. 18 and has been all over numerous other All-American lists. He also has an NFL Hall of Fame father to thank for passing some pretty impressive genes along.

The others aren’t quite as obvious, but it is a bunch of familiar names nevertheless. Find out below which five Buckeyes made either the first, second, or third team, along with the two that made honorable mention according to PFF.

ESPN predicts five Ohio State football players in first round of 2024 NFL draft

The Buckeyes are predicted to once again dominate the NFL draft’s first round #GoBucks

The college football season starts this weekend and [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] once again will reload with many NFL teams licking their chops to see what some of the current Buckeyes do on the gridiron.

Last year the Buckeyes had three picks in the first round and ESPN believes that the 2024 version (subscription required) will have two more for a total of five. We all know that wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to be an early selection, but how how is the question.

The other four are names that we have seen pop up on various other mock drafts, but their question remains the same as Harrison Jr.’s. Find out below where [autotag]Matt Miller[/autotag] believes who the five Buckeyes are, and where they will get taken.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon

The EDGE moniker is a relatively recent name, but EDGE players have been around for a long time. It’s essentially a mix of outside linebackers and defensive ends who have the primary task of rushing the passer. Sometimes they’re stand-up OLB types (think Von Miller), while others are hand-in-dirt ends (think Myles Garrett).

It’s a position where collegiate production is important but athletic upside matters quite a bit, perhaps more than any other spot. The early evaluation of this EDGE class shows a couple of high-end prospects and then a group that is variable based on team/scheme preferences; the No. 3 here might not be in the top 8 for a team that doesn’t run the particular type of scheme that he best fits.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the EDGEs in the NFL draft class of 2024.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason OT watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason CB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason QB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason RB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason WR watch list and early rankings

Biggest playmakers in the Big Ten who aren’t quarterbacks in 2023

Who are the biggest non-QB playmakers in the Big Ten? How many Buckeyes make this list? #B1G #GoBucks

The quarterbacks get all of the hype and I am just as guilty of it as evidenced by my top transfer piece, where most of the list are gunslingers. However, some of the most impactful players that affect the game aren’t under-center.

When I evaluate the Big Ten, including the Ohio State roster, I notice that many new quarterbacks are going to get a shot and someone will have to step up.

This list is focused more on the top guys who can take the pressure off the quarterback or even thrive no matter the circumstance. These five players are guys that opposing coaches will need to highlight and circle to work around and even then these players will still likely thrive.

It also just so happens that many of these names should receive some Heisman Trophy hype as well, but let’s dive into the top five non-quarterback playmakers in the Big Ten.

J.T. Tuimoloau makes Polynesian Player of the Year watch list

You have to think JTT has a really good chance of winning this award in 2023. #GoBucks

We’ve seen a slew of Ohio State players appear on all of the preseason college football award watch lists so far as we head towards the start of the season, and it didn’t stop on Thursday.

It’s a little different type of watch list, but one still all the same. In case you didn’t know, Buckeye defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, has Polynesian heritage. And because of his talent on the football field, how he conducts himself off the field, and his ancestry, Tuimoloau was named to the preseason Polynesian Player of the Year watch list.

The list is rather large, with 85 names appearing on it, but Tuimoloau did take home the Polynesian Player of the Year at the high school level in 2020 when playing for Eastside Catholic in Sammamish, Washington.

The winner of the Polynesian Player of the Year award will be named on December 14. The winner will be recognized at halftime of the Polynesian Bowl in mid January.

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CBS Sports has five Ohio State players on their preseason All-American teams

These five Buckeyes are among the best players in the country #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] is not stranger to All-American players.

Just last year, the Buckeyes had six players earn those honors, with Marvin Harrison Jr. being selected an a unanimous first-teamer, and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. getting a consensus distinction.

Multiple other players like quarterback C.J. Stroud and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, were on the second or third teams. The 2023 season should be no different for Ohio State, as Harrison Jr. and Eichenberg return, while other stars could make that leap into national relevance.

CBS Sports thinks that at least five Ohio State players will have All-American type seasons. Find out below which Buckeyes made its preseason list.

Ohio State places five players on 247Sports top 100 players in college football

Just five?!? #GoBucks

Star power is what you need to compete for championships, and if 247Sports is correct, the [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] team will have enough of it during the 2023 season.

The Buckeyes placed five players on the site’s top 100 list. More than a few of them we expected to be on the list. The bigger question was how high did they rank?

Blake Brockermeyer, who put together the rankings, along with the help of his cohorts at 247Sports, started the procedure with around 200 candidates, so more than a few players who weren’t selected were on his mind.

Find out below where each Ohio State star ranked and what Brockermeyer said about them.

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.