Somehow, someway Ohio State center Luke Wypler fell not only out of Day 2 but all the way into the sixth round. And the Cleveland Browns, a team that has been drafting for value over positional need all weekend, this was music to their ears as they landed Wypler for just the price of pick no. 190.
As we have done with every other pick, we will grade this Wypler pick as well. Trying to stay unbiased about a Browns pick from the state of Ohio, it remains quite difficult not to think the Browns knocked this one out of the park.
Ohio State center, Luke Wypler, has realized his dream of being an NFL player. The Cleveland Browns selected the 6-foot, 3-inch, 300-pounder out of Montvale, New Jersey, in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft with the 190th pick.
He came to the Buckeyes as a four-star prospect and quickly took over the center position once it was up for grabs in 2021. Wypler started 26 consecutive games across that year and 2022. He earned third-team all-Big Ten Conference honors by the voting media this past season. He decided to leave school with two years of eligibility left.
He’ll get a chance to compete for the starting spot in the NFL with the Browns at a high-value position on the field that is a little underappreciated by many.
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Nov. 19, 2022; College Park, Maryland; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Luke Wypler (53) takes the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapinsat SECU Stadium. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State has a history of churning out really good centers at the game’s highest level, and Wypler has a chance to add another chapter despite falling further on the draft board than most anticipated.
The Browns have made Ohio State center Luke Wypler their newest pick in the 2023 NFL draft. How was it received?
The Cleveland Browns have taken not one, but two Ohio State Buckeyes’ offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL draft. After selecting offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round, the Browns now return to Columbus to bring their center Luke Wypler up I-71 North as well. Addressing plenty of their needs in free agency, it is clear the Browns are attacking the draft based on value rather than based on position.
With one pick left to go before closing out the draft, we once again turn to Twitter to see how the selection of Wypler was received. It is phenomenal value, so there is no real reason to be too upset.
The Browns have used their sixth rounder on Ohio State center Luke Wypler
There is no reason that Ohio State center Luke Wypler should have been on the board. However, falling into the sixth round, the Cleveland Browns capitalize on a third round value in the 2023 NFL draft, making Wypler the second Ohio State offensive lineman they have selected on Day 3 after taking offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round.
This spells bad news for Nick Harris, entering the last year of his deal and off of a significant injury. The Browns have made it a clear priority to attack value on the board rather than identifying particular positions in the draft.
And they score my 78th overall prospect in this draft class for just the cost of pick no. 190.
No clue how Luke Wypler lasted this long. One of the smartest players at the position. Bad news for Nick Harris (last year of his deal), but a very Harris-esque selection when they got a quality player late. pic.twitter.com/yuy4xGeAb5
With day three of the NFL Draft upon us, @TheKevinFielder looks at the best prospect fits for the Minnesota Vikings.
There’s an age-old saying that Super Bowls are built on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.
The thinking behind that is built on the number of picks on Day 3 and the players that might be available. While teams select potential stars in the first round, the role players to help win teams’ games are drafted later.
The good news for the Minnesota Vikings is that they’ll have five selections on Day 3 after trading down with the San Francisco 49ers near the end of the third round.
The Vikings will first be on the clock with the 119th overall pick in the fourth round. Following the trade with the 49ers, the Vikings also have two fifth-round picks (No. 158 and 164), a sixth (No. 211), and a seventh-round selection (No. 222).
After two days of the NFL Draft, here are the best remaining fits for the Vikings.
The Broncos have a pair of picks to use on Day 2 of the NFL draft. Here are 30 prospects fans should keep an eye on Friday night.
After not making a pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday night, the Denver Broncos are now set to make a pair of selections on Friday.
There are many notable prospects available going into Day 2 of the draft, including some intriguing candidates at Denver’s biggest positions of need. Before the draft, Broncos Wire identified cornerback, defensive line, center and running back as the team’s biggest draft needs.
Denver’s front office plans to draft based on its big board rankings, though, so there’s no guarantee that the Broncos will specifically target those listed positions. But if we swapped places with general manager George Paton, we’d target CBs, DLs, RBs and Cs at this point in the draft.
Here’s a quick list of 30 players to watch for on Day 2 of the draft.
If the Broncos want to bring in competition for Lloyd Cushenberry, they could target one of these centers during the NFL draft.
The Denver Broncos’ offensive line depth chart looks a lot better after the team added guard Ben Powers and tackle Ben McGlinchey in free agency, but the team could still use an upgrade at center.
Right now, Lloyd Cushenberry is penciled in on the depth chart as the team’s starting center, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos bring in more competition this weekend.
Denver has five picks to use in the draft this year, including a pair of picks (Nos. 67 and 68 overall) in the third round. Two weeks ago, we had the Broncos use pick No. 67 to select Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann in our mock draft.
Tippmann might not end up falling to the third round, but there will be plenty of other prospects to monitor even if Tippman doesn’t fall to Denver. Here’s a quick list of 10 names to watch for during the draft from Thursday to Saturday.
Here’s our NFL draft big board for the interior offensive linemen.
The Indianapolis Colts will have a keen eye on the offensive line prospects during the 2023 NFL draft when the big weekend arrives.
Needing to add some starting competition and depth to the right guard spot, the interior offensive line is one of the biggest needs on the roster for the Colts entering the draft. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they also added some depth to the center position.
This is a pretty good class for the Colts to need interior help. It seems the projected Day 2 prospects is where the value will be while there are some intriguing options on Day 3 as well.
As we break down the prospects by round, think of the “rounds” as tiers and when I believe the team should begin to consider drafting them.
We also created big boards at the following positions:
Taking a look at the best C/G prospects for the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts are closing in on the 2023 NFL draft where they likely will use a number of their picks to address the offensive line.
One of the biggest needs that remain throughout the offseason is the interior offensive line. While Quenton Nelson holds down the left guard spot, center Ryan Kelly was the subject of trade rumors, and the right guard position currently doesn’t have a projected starter.
With the draft less than two weeks away, the Broncos are scouting potential competition for incumbent center Lloyd Cushenberry.
After going through free agency without any big additions at center (the team did sign backup Kyle Fuller), the Denver Broncos entered their offseason program with incumbent Lloyd Cushenberry penciled in as their starting center.
“[W]e see him as our starting center,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Cushenberry at the NFL owners’ meetings in Arizona last month.
That statement was made in regard to how the roster stands now. Things might change after the NFL draft later this month.
“[T]he Broncos are doing due diligence on the centers in this class,” ESPN’s Jordan Reid reported on Thursday (subscription required for link). Reid named Ohio State’s Luke Wypler as a potential third-round target for Denver.
Our most recent seven-round mock draft for the Broncos has the team landing Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann in the third round, but he might be more likely to go off the board in the second round.
Whether it’s Tippman, Wypler or someone else, Denver would be wise to add a center with one of the third-round picks.
