While several former Ohio State football players saw their NFL realized during the 2023 NFL Draft, and in the immediate aftermath with the undrafted free agency pool, a quartet of Buckeyes will not have to travel far to their new homes.
Four former Buckeyes landed with the Cleveland Browns, including offensive tackle Dawand Jones and center Luke Wypler, who were selected with the No. 111 and No. 190 picks respectively. The Browns continued their Ohio State haul after the draft, adding Tanner McCalister and Ronnie Hickman through undrafted free agency.
Jones and Wypler each endured lengthy draft slides until the Browns came calling, but it’s clear that Cleveland is excited about its haul.
“A modern-day Goliath,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of Jones. “You just don’t see humans that are that big. There just really aren’t many people on earth that are his size.
“Even in the NFL, he’s a giant among giants.”
Berry was also excited to land Wypler as late as he did, scooping up the New Jersey native during the sixth round.
“Luke was very productive for a very, very good Ohio State offensive line,” Berry said. ” I think what drew us to him, we thought he was a really good pass protector and particularly when he was isolated in one-on-one situations, so that’s what really appealed to us in that regard.
“And his visit with us, he’s incredibly smart, incredibly driven, so we were excited to take him off the board in the sixth round.”
Jones and Wypler became the first Ohio State teammates to be selected by the Browns in the same draft since 1965, when Cleveland picked running back Bo Scott and offensive tackle Ed Orazen.
Cleveland added to its collection of Buckeyes, with the quartet joining cornerback Denzel Ward and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai.
