By AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo, and staff
COLUMBUS – At least three Buckeyes are expected to go in the first round of the NFL draft, which starts Friday night in Kansas City.
The first round begins at 8:00 p.m. The second and third rounds are Friday and the draft concludes on Saturday. Fans can watch live coverage on the NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
The Carolina Panthers have the No. 1 overall pick after making a trade with the Chicago Bears and are expected to take a quarterback with the top selection.
The candidates include Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
While Stroud dropped from being the top choice, according to experts, some still predict he will be wearing a Carolina uniform.
If not, they predict the Houston Texans will make him the second overall pick.
The Arizona Cardinals are No. 3. The Indianapolis Colts (No. 4) and Seattle Seahawks (No. 5) round out the top 5.
In AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi’s mock draft, the Steelers trade up for the 10th overall pick and take former Buckeye Paris Johnson, an offensive tackle with “all the physical tools and intangibles to anchor the O-line and protect Kenny Pickett.”
The third Buckeye to go in the first round is expected to be Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Using the pick acquired from Jets in the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Green Packers take the first wide receiver at No. 13.
Despite missing most of his final season, Smith-Njigba was the best wide receiver two years ago on a team with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
Other top athletes in the draft include edge rushers such as Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. and Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson.
Bengals get defensive
The Bengals own seven picks in the draft, including the 28th overall selection.
They are expected to take Deonte Banks, a cornerback from Maryland, a physical, athletic cornerback to shore up a depleted secondary.
Browns wait until Round 3
The Browns will begin the NFL draft waiting.
Cleveland doesn’t own a pick in the first two rounds, in part because of trading three first-round draft picks to Houston last year in the deal for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Browns won’t pick until No. 74, unless general manager Andrew Berry makes a move. Berry has been aggressive in past drafts, and it won’t be a surprise if he does some wheeling and dealing to add pieces to a team that went 7-10 and missed the playoffs in 2022.