Linemen Liam Eichenberg, Jackson Carman lead Ohio’s top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft

CLEVELAND, Ohio — While St. Ignatius’ Liam Eichenberg is one of the biggest NFL Draft prospects from Ohio, he isn’t alone.

Eichenberg’s Notre Dame teammate, Shaun Crawford from high school rival St. Edward, also is in this year’s draft. A.J. Rose of Garfield Heights and Bryce Hargrove from Coventry are some of Northeast Ohio’s best who could hear their name called during the draft, when it takes place April 29-May 1 in Cleveland.

Ohio, as a whole, has more than a dozen prospects in the draft. They include Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman, who played in southwestern Ohio at Fairfield, and many more.

Here’s a breakdown.

Jackson Carman, Clemson offensive tackle/guard

High school: Fairfield

Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 335 pounds

About Carman: Ranked the No. 2 offensive tackle in the country, coming out of Fairfield in 2018, Carman played a freshman at Clemson. He made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference third team as a sophomore in 2019 and All-ACC second team last season. Carman received a 79.8 grade last season from Pro Football Focus, which projects him as a second-round pick. He is PFF’s highest-ranked prospect from Ohio at No. 49 overall.

Jonathon Cooper, Ohio State defensive end

High school: Gahanna Lincoln

Height, weight: 6-4, 257

About Cooper: Highly recruited in high school, Cooper stayed close to home as a five-star prospect. He remained at Ohio State last season as a fifth-year senior and had 2.5 sacks in six games. Cooper played just four games in his 2019 senior season and took a redshirt.

Shaun Crawford, Notre Dame safety

High school: St. Edward

Height, weight: 5-9, 180

About Crawford: Injuries plagued Crawford’s college career after a stellar run with St. Edward, where the Eagles won a state championship his senior year of high school in 2014. He started four years at St. Edward, earning his place on cleveland.com’s all-decade team. He tore his ACL as a freshman at Notre Dame, then tore his Achilles tendon as a sophomore. A knee injury kept him from playing in 2018, his senior year. With multiple seasons derailed by injuries, Crawford finished his career with nine tackles in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Alabama. Crawford ran a 4.47-second time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame offensive tackle

High school: St. Ignatius

Height, weight: 6-6, 302

About Eichenberg: Ohio State offered Eichenberg a scholarship before he played a varsity game entering his sophomore year at St. Ignatius. He made All-Ohio teams and picked Notre Dame, where he became the starting left tackle in 2018 and hasn’t given up a sack since the first month of that season.

Luke Farrell, Ohio State tight end

High school: Perry

Height, weight: 6-6, 258

About Farrell: Perry has had its share of top prospects, including Farrell and West Virginia-bound running back Jaylen Anderson. Farrell played four years of basketball at Perry, too, and joined the Buckeyes as a four-star tight end. He had a combined 76 receptions for 1,176 yards as a junior and senior. Farrell came up big in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a touchdown grab against Clemson.

Darrick Forrest, Cincinnati safety

High school: Columbus Walnut Ridge

Height, weight: 6-0, 200

About Forrest: A three-sport star at Walnut Ridge, playing basketball and track, Forrest broke through at Cincinnati on special teams. He became a starter in the defensive backfield for the 2018 season. His best season came in 2019 with 106 tackles and three interceptions in 14 games. Forrest had 40 tackles and two picks in 10 games last season.

Bryce Hargrove, Pittsburgh guard

High school: Coventry

Height, weight: 6-4, 320

About Hargrove: He didn’t play football until his junior year at Coventry and starred for the Comets on both sides of the ball. Hargrove redshirted as a freshman in 2016 at Pitt and earned a starting job at guard by the end of the 2018 season. He remained there the last two seasons.

Justin Hilliard, Ohio State linebacker

High school: Cincinnati St. Xavier

Height, weight: 6-1, 231

About Hilliard: Ohio’s top-ranked prospect in 2015, Hilliard was considered the top outside linebacker in the country by ESPN. That previous fall, he led St. Xavier to the Division I state semifinals with five sacks and 71 tackles. This last season marked Hilliard’s best at Ohio State, statistically, in just six games. He had 33 tackles and three fumble recoveries.

James Hudson, Cincinnati offensive lineman

High school: Toledo Central Catholic

Height, weight: 6-5, 310

About Hudson: Initially at Michigan, Hudson transferred to Cincinnati in time for the 2019 season. He made his debut with the Bearcats in the Birmingham Bowl, starting on the offensive line. At Toledo Central Catholic, Hudson blocked for 2016 Mr. Football winner Michael Warren II.

Brenden Knox, Marshall running back

High school: Franklin Heights

Height, weight: 6-0, 223

About Knox: Considered a two-star prospect in high school, Knox took a redshirt his first season at Marshall. As a senior last fall, he rushed for 887 yards and nine touchdowns.

Tommy Kraemer, Notre Dame guard

High school: Cincinnati Elder

Height, weight: 6-5, 317

About Kraemer: At Elder, Kraemer won state offensive lineman of the year awards and committed as a junior to Notre Dame. He finished high school as Ohio’s No. 1-ranked prospect, according to 247Sports.com, and remained at tackle to start his Notre Dame career. He moved to guard in 2018 and endured a season-ending knee injury midway through 2019.

Josh Myers, Ohio State center

High school: Miamisburg

Height, weight: 6-5, 312

About Myers: Considered Ohio’s top prospect in 2017 from Miamisburg, Myers took a redshirt before backing up Michael Jordan in 2018. He took over a starting spot in 2019 and blocked for 2,000-yard running back J.K. Dobbins. Myers earned All-Big Ten honors the last two years.

Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern quarterback

High school: Cincinnati Elder

Height, weight: 6-2, 220

About Ramsey: In high school, Ramsey benefited from having Kraemer block for him in high school. Ramsey also played for his father, Doug Ramsey, at Elder and won the Greater Catholic League South Player of the Year award twice. Ramsey took over as Indiana’s starter midway through his redshirt freshman season. He transferred last year to Northwestern, throwing for 1,733 yards and 12 TD passes to eight interceptions in nine games.

A.J. Rose, Kentucky running back

High school: Garfield Heights

Height, weight: 6-1, 214

About Rose: Following a career-high 148 yards rushing in the Gator Bowl, where he was the MVP in Kentucky’s 23-21 win against North Carolina State, Rose declared for the draft. He played multiple sports at Garfield Heights, which reached the state semifinals in basketball in 2015 and ’16. The Bulldogs also made the OHSAA football playoffs his junior year. Rose served as a do-it-all back, playing quarterback and running back. Recruiting services considered him a three-star prospect, and he redshirted as a freshman at Kentucky in 2016. Rose earned playing time in 2018 among a backfield that included Benny Snell, who is now with the Steelers.

Brendon White, Rutgers defensive back

High…