Tag: Thayer Munford

9 potential Chargers prospects to watch in College Football Playoff title game

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out nine prospects in the College Football Playoff title game that Los Angeles could target.

All eyes will be glued to the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship game, where the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

While many will be watching it for entertainment purposes, there will be plenty of NFL caliber talent on the field that are worth keeping an eye out for.

With that, here are nine players that the Los Angeles Chargers could be scouting tonight:

Alabama

CB Patrick Surtain

Voted a unanimous All-America selection and the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year, Surtain has been lockdown, breaking up eight passes and picking off one which he took back to the end zone. Surtain is a long, smooth athlete who has impressive instincts and ball skills. He could polish up in the run game, but overall, he has the makeup of an All-Pro cornerback.

Projected Round: Top-15

WR DeVonta Smith

While Smith may not have the track-like speed, the 6-foot and 172 pounders plays with a well-rounded route tree, excellent footwork, and brings the separation tactics to thrive at the next level. Through four seasons, Smith has 3,750 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Projected Round: Top-15

WR Jaylen Waddle

Speed kills. Waddle, the 5-foot-10 and 182 pounder, is a pass-catcher with elite phone booth quicks and legitimate breakaway speed to threaten a defense vertically. He can line up all across the formation as well as serve as a return man. After missing the last seven games with a fractured ankle, Waddle is game-time decision.

Projected Round: 1st

OT Alex Leatherwood

Named the 2020 Outland Trophy winner, which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football, Leatherwood, the 6-foot-5 and 313 pounder, made 47 starts for the Crimson Tide with 13 of them coming at right guard in 2018. Leatherwood is an excellent blindside blocker who possesses great size, length and physicality to grow into a very reliable tackle or guard at the next level.

Projected Round: 1st-2nd

CB Josh Jobe

Surtain is the No. 1 corner but opposite of him is another player who has proven to put the clamps on receivers. Jobe has good length and size at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, reactive athleticism and ball skills. He has 52 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and 11 passes defensed.

Projected Round: 3rd-4th

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Thayer Munford latest Buckeye to accept invitation to Senior Bowl

Ohio State tackle Thayer Munford has accepted an invitation to join four other Buckeyes in the Reeses’s Senior Bowl.

We’ve got another Ohio State player that has accepted an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The latest is left tackle Thayer Munford, and he joins four other Buckeyes that will be taking part in the game down in Mobile, Alabama.

Munford, a senior, is a three-year starter and one of the anchors on the offensive line. He has played in 34 games, starting 30 of those. He was Second Team All-Big Ten in 2019 and Honorable Mention in 2018. He hails from Cincinnati originally but transferred to Massillon after the 2015 season in high school and was a four-star prospect when he committed to the Buckeyes.

The big man will be joining linebacker Baron Browning, running back Trey Sermon and linebacker Tuf Borland, as well as defensive end Jonathon Cooper in the game.

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As a reminder, the Senior Bowl is for college players that have exhausted their eligibility and would like one more shot to impress scouts and NFL types in a practice and bowl game setting with other players looking to further their career at the next level.

The game is set to take place on Saturday, January 30.

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Two Ohio State players heading to Hula Bowl

Two Ohio State players are heading to Hawaii to take part in the Hula Bowl to showcase their talents for the NFL Draft.

Two Ohio State players have agreed to play in the Hula Bowl in January. The Hula Bowl, much like the Senior Bowl, is an invite-only showcase for college football players heading to the draft. It is located in Hawaii and has been around since 1960. With players starting to get invites to the bowls to improve draft stock, this now makes four confirmed Buckeyes heading to the two bowls.

Earlier we reported Tuf Borland and Trey Sermon heading to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. It is now been confirmed that Thayer Munford and Jonathon Cooper will be taking part in the Hula Bowl. Both players are trying to improve their draft stock and playing against other top college players will certainly help.

NEXT … Breaking down Munford

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Ohio State has best offensive line in college football

Ohio State has a plethora of talent on the offensive line, with Wyatt Davis leading the way, it’s best offensive line in college football.

The Ohio State football team has always been known for its offensive lines. Year in and year out one of the most consistent units, it has a gathering of riches on the offensive line yet again in 2020.

This year the Buckeyes added Paris Johnson to an already stacked line with Wyatt Davis, Nicholas Petite-Frere, Josh Myers, Thayer Munford, and Harry Miller. Six players into the list and we still haven’t named Gavin Cupp or Jeremy Ruckert (technically a tight end, but yeah, he blocks too). A stacked position group for sure with a lot of five-star recruits.

Last year, Pro Football Focus, ranked the Buckeyes the fourth most efficient offensive line in college football. Keeping pass rushers off of Justin Fields on 67.4% of his dropbacks and allowing for 3.11 seconds of time before pressure started getting to Fields. With Davis leading the way, they only figure to get better in 2020.

Keeping Fields clean will be key in 2020 and there is no reason to believe the beef eaters up front can’t do so. With a slightly revamped wide receiver corps and a new starting running back, allowing Fields to make plays and stay mobile is something Ryan Day would welcome.

Having Paris Johnson as the backup/swing, and potentially starting, tackle allows for some flexibility for Day to call plays to allow Fields to roll to one side or the other without having to tip his play when Johnson is in the game. Having three starting quality offensive tackles is a problem most coaches would relish.

With a season in question, and teams playing conference games only, offensive lines will be asked to handle a little more as teams will have more tape from having to play more of the same teams. The Buckeyes have that much-needed luxury of having a top-flight offensive line that can simply out-talent the opposition despite the film study.

Only Munford is a senior this year, which means even if the season doesn’t go off like it is expected, then there’s still the possibility of bringing back some experience again if the others eschew the NFL and want another crack at it. So while everyone talks about the wide receivers, linebackers, or defensive line, don’t forget the guys in the trenches, the best offensive line in college football.

It does remain to be seen how the potential cancellation of high school football effects recruiting next year, however, with the amassed talent the Buckeyes should be in good shape. The offensive line is an absolute strength of this team.

Three Ohio State offensive lineman make Outland Trophy preseason watch list

Thayer Munford, Wyatt Davis, and Josh Myers were all named to the Outland Trophy’s 2020 preseason watch list on Tuesday.

The individual preseason notoriety continues to file in for the Ohio State football team. The offensive line is a veteran group this year, and the folks at the Outland Trophy have taken notice.

Thayer Munford, Josh Myers, and Wyatt Davis have all been named to the Outland’s 2020 preseason watch list that was released Tuesday. All three had an opportunity to turn pro after last season but decided to come back for one more run. Hopefully, the novel coronavirus and the management of it all works to their benefit and we get to see these guys shine this fall.

The Outland has been awarded annually to the college football player judged to be the best interior lineman in the country and is awarded by the Football Writers Association of America. As trophies go, it has been around longer than most, with the first one being awarded in 1946.

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Ohio State has had several winners. Jim Parker took it home in 1956, Jim Stillwagon won it in 1970, John Hicks in 1973, and the latest was Orlando Pace in 1996.

Another winner is long overdue.

 

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Ohio State football has six players crack updated two-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft

The Draft Wire published its updated 2020 NFL mock draft, and there are six Ohio State players through the two-rounds.

Coming off a highly successful 2020 NFL Draft in which the Buckeyes had two of the top three picks, the program will be back at it in 2021 according to Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling.

Easterling has six Buckeyes picked in the two-round mock draft. It’s a perfect split as three are projected in the first round and then three in the second round. For Ohio State, all eyes will be on Justin Fields. Where does the Heisman Finalist go?

In his projections, Fields goes second overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterbacks take up the top two spots, and I bet you can guess who is No. 1 overall. Trevor Lawrence anyone?

Here’s a rundown of where all six Ohio State players are projected to go by Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling.

First … The Buckeye QB

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Ohio State offensive linemen Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers to return next year

According to sources close to Lettermen Row, Wyatt Davis, Thayer Munford and Josh Myers all appear to be returning for their senior seasons.

It’s that time of the year when we start to hear rumblings about players that could leave early for the NFL. That might be put off a wee-bit because Ohio State is in the middle of a College Football Playoff run, but at some point we’ll begin to hear who is declaring and who isn’t for those players three years removed from high school.

On that note, the Buckeyes have already received good news on its offensive line — at least according to a report from Lettermen Row. You could even say that Christmas came a day late for offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. That’s because according to the online Ohio State fan site, both right guard Wyatt Davis and center Josh Myers are planning on returning for their senior seasons.

Both spoke to Lettermen Row and confirmed the intentions to forego the NFL Draft and come back for another year in Columbus.

“Yes, I did [submit draft feedback paperwork], but I want to put out there that I’m returning next year,” Davis told Lettermen Row. “I haven’t received [feedback] yet. I’m still waiting on it just to see it. But, yes sir, I’m coming back.”

The report also cites sources close to the program that also say left tackle Thayer Munford could also return, confirming that he did not even submit paperwork for feedback in preparation for the draft. The same boat that Josh Myers is in — having completely skipped the process with the intentions of coming back.

If true, the return of all three could be an important development for an offensive line that was one of the best in the country this year. The program could have lost all three and had to go through another rebuild year.

Myers took the starting center job and has excelled to the point of being one of the best in the country. Davis earned All-American honors, and Munford is the anchor on the left side that protects the blind-side of the right-handed Justin Fields.

Now, Davis could potentially change his mind if he gets a first round grade that would be enticing, but he appears to be well set in his decision to come back and be a big part of embarking on another run in 2020.

You can bank on other early departures on the team, but this is at least some very good news for the future of the Ohio State offense.