The Ohio State Buckeyes could lose players from all over the field, and on both sides of the ball, but the biggest domino of the bunch has officially fallen.
According to ESPN, Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer confirmed his star defensive end, Joey Bosa, is declaring for the NFL Draft. Meyer also confirmed fellow underclassmen, running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Cardale Jones, were going pro as well.
Widely projected as the number one overall prospect in this year's class, Bosa indicated he would make his final decision after the Fiesta Bowl game. But Bosa's declaration could well wind up as part of a mass exodus of NFL-bound Buckeyes.
On his first Big Board, ESPN's Mel Kiper listed draft-eligible Ohio State players among the 10 best at all but four positions.
Among those players are seniors on their on way out anyway: wide receiver Braxton Miller, tight end Nick Vannett, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, defensive tackle Adolphus Washington, and outside linebacker Joshua Perry.
Like Bosa, Elliott, and Jones, Ohio State also has a host of underclassmen draft eligible underclassmen who could be selected in April. These players include wide receiver Michael Thomas, offensive guard Pat Elflein, outside linebacker Darron Lee, cornerback Eli Apple, and safety Vonn Bell.
Both Kiper and his colleague, Todd McShay, believe some Ohio State underclassmen could climb their positional rankings with another year in college, but Meyer could still face major transitions at several positions.
