Ohio State Football: 3 Reasons Zach Harrison will commit to the Buckeyes

3. Ohio State’s NFL Pedigree for Defensive Ends

Ohio State has long been considered an NFL factory, and they are tied for fourth in most players from a school on NFL squads, behind only three SEC teams.

The Buckeyes currently have 36 former players on NFL rosters in 2018, a full ten more than their rivals to the north.

Their NFL pedigree will surely aid them for a player of Harrison’s caliber, who will most likely stay at his school of choice for three seasons before foregoing his senior year and declaring for the NFL Draft. Harrison has an NFL frame already; it’s only a matter of time before he is playing on Sundays.

In particular, Ohio State has done a great job of developing defensive linemen, and are likely to produce the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft in defensive end Nick Bosa. In 2016, his brother Joey, also a former Buckeye, was the third overall pick by the Chargers.

While it is likely to change this season with Rashan Gary, the Wolverines last produced a Top 10 NFL Draft pick when Jake Long went No. 1 overall in 2018; their last defensive lineman to crack the Top 10 was all the way back in 1980. Taco Charlton in 2017 is their only defensive lineman to even go in the first round since then, either.

Ohio State’s hometown advantage, dominance in the rivalry on the gridiron, and their track record of developing talent should give them the edge when Zach Harrison puts pen to paper on Wednesday.