Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State’s Dawand Jones became the third member of Ohio State’s starting offensive line to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft.
He made the announcement on Wednesday, a day after tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Luke Wypler said they’d be leaving Columbus early.
The 6-foot-8, 359-pound Jones was a second-team All-American in 2022. In four seasons at Ohio State, he played 40 games, starting 26 as he became a full-time starter in 2021.
Johnson, another second-team All-American, is expected to be selected in the first round, with USA Today’s recently released mock draft projecting the Tennessee Titans to select him with the No. 11 overall pick.
The 247Sports composite ranked the 6-foot-7 Johnson, from Cincinnati, as the No. 1 tackle in the Class of 2020. With the Buckeyes, he was a three-year starter and anchored an offensive line that averaged 490.7 yards per game this season and led the nation in 2021 with 561.5 yards and 45.7 points per game.
Wypler could be the first center off the draft board in April, He won the Buckeyes’ starting center job before the 2021 season.
Ohio State got some good news Wednesday when starting right guard Matt Jones said he would use his sixth and final year of eligibility and return to the school. He is a candidate to take over the center spot in 2023.
“Although I have dreams and aspirations to play in the NFL, my college chapter does not close here,” he wrote in a graphic posted to Twitter.
Left guard Donovan Johnson also is returning for the Buckeyes, who added just one offensive lineman in their 2023 recruiting class.
The Buckeyes finished the season with an 11-2 record after a heartbreaking defeat in the College Football Playoff semifinal to eventual champion Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
–Field Level Media