Former NFL Exec Drops Staggering Take on Ohio State Star

The Ohio State Buckeyes may very well set a record with players selected in this year’s NFL Draft, and many of them are projected to be rather high picks.

But there is one Ohio State product whose draft stock is very puzzling: JT Tuimoloau.

The star defensive end is coming off of a marvelous 2024 campaign in which he racked up 61 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, with 6.5 of those sacks coming during the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run.

Based on his production, you would think Tuimoloau would fly off the board in the first round or very early in Round 2, at the latest, but for some reason, mock drafts are generally predicting Tuimoloau to be taken midway through the second round. Some even have going going in Round 3.

Former NFL executive and current NFL.com analyst Marc Ross does not understand the lack of hype surrounding Tuimoloau, and in his most recent mock draft, he had Tuimoloau going 29th overall to the Washington Commanders. He also dropped a bold take on the 21-year-old, calling him “maybe the most underrated player in this draft class.”

Ross may have a point. The fact that Tuimoloau could be that productive against elite competition and somehow fall in draft projections is mind boggling. Remember: many considered him a first-round talent heading into the 2024 campaign. How in the world did things change?

Tuimoloau possesses fantastic size at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, and he also brings tremendous athleticism to the table, allowing him to play as an edge rusher in addition to defensive end.

Whoever ends up with Tuimoloau next week is going to be very happy.

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