11 Players To Participate In Ohio State’s Pro Day On Wednesday

On Mar 23, 2022

Ohio State will host its annual Pro Day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday, giving the program’s draft-eligible prospects one final chance to impress general managers, coaches and scouts before next month’s NFL Draft.

There are 11 former Buckeyes set to participate including running back Master Teague; wide receivers Chris Booker, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson; offensive linemen Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere; tight end Jeremy Ruckert; defensive end Tyreke Smith; defensive tackles Haskell Garrett and Antwuan Jackson; and cornerback Demario McCall.

Seven of those players – Olave, Wilson, Munford, Petit-Frere, Ruckert, Smith and Garrett – participated in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. Ruckert only took part in the interview process, though, as he was dealing with a foot injury suffered at the Senior Bowl in January, and a team spokesperson said it’s unclear if he’ll participate in drills tomorrow.

Ohio State’s Pro Day typically draws more than 100 representatives from all 32 teams, though it was cancelled in 2020 and closed to the media in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll all get an early look at redshirt sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud, as he – and former quarterback Cardale Jones – will throw to the receivers despite not being eligible for the draft until 2023.

“He wants to be there to help Garrett and Chris,” head coach Ryan Day said during his press conference on Tuesday. “That’s the biggest thing is to be there to support his teammates and try to put on a good show.

“We put too much pressure on something like that. (It’s) for him to be out there and help those guys be comfortable, but it’s a good opportunity for C.J. to go through it and just see what that’s like and feel so he’ll be even more comfortable when he’s there next time.”

Jones, meanwhile, hasn’t played professional football since 2020, when he was the starting quarterback for the XFL’s D.C. Defenders. Before that, he played four seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.