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Darron Lee grew up idolizing Lawrence Taylor thanks to his grandfather

There are worse players to mimic out on the field.

By Harry Lyles Jr.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

"I knew about Lawrence Taylor because my grandpa had always talked about him. And so I always like used to watch highlights of him, and I just fell in love with him at that point on."

- Darron Lee, via Steve Serby, New York Post

The New York Jets newest linebacker and former Ohio State Buckeye Darron Lee sat down with the New York Post's Steve Serby. Serby and Lee discuss how Lee was a New York Giants fan growing up, and how he loved Lawrence Taylor thanks to the influence of his grandfather. He talks about how he loved his style of play, and how he was loud, and had tons of energy. Lee mentions he tries to bring the same thing to his game, and if you're going to mirror somebody at the linebacker position, Taylor isn't a bad way to go about it.

Lee told Serby that when he's in the tunnel ready to go out on the field, things are quiet for him. He has a nonstop motor, and plays angry, and passionate. Lee told Serby that he's driven by the fact that he feels he's been underrated his entire career, which drives a lot of players. He came to Ohio State essentially without a position, and became one of the best linebacker prospects in the NFL Draft. One thing about Lee that Jets fans might not like, is his fanhood for the Boston Red Sox. But if he performs on the field, surely they'll accept everything about him, including that.

"A head-to-head recruiting battle is taking place Wednesday in New Jersey when Ohio State and Michigan have satellite camps taking place at the same exact time less than 10 miles apart."

- Ari Wasserman, Northeast Ohio Media Group

Get used to the satellite camp talks, they'll be here most of the offseason. The Buckeyes and the Wolverines are both hosting camps in New Jersey on the same day, at the same time pinning the two against each other earlier than we might have expected. If the recruiting battles go anything the way that Jim Harbaugh's first "The Game" did, it should work greatly in the Buckeyes favor. The Buckeyes' camp is at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and is being hosted by Rutgers. Michigan's is at Paramus Catholic, home of Jabrill Peppers and Rashan Gary. Maryland, along with Syracuse and Pitt will also be at the camp.

Now, the recruiting implications here aren't huge, but it will definitely be something to watch for. Harbaugh loves to own the spotlight, and with the Buckeyes in close proximity on the same afternoon, don't be surprised if you see some outrageous headline with a Harbaugh quote. At the very least, there should be a nice little reunion between Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and his former defensive coordinator, now Rutgers head coach Chris Ash.

"Ohio State returns an FBS-low six starters from the offensive and defensive sides of the ball thanks largely to an FBS-high nine players declaring early for the 2016 NFL draft."

- Jason Starrett, ESPN.com

Starrett and other ESPN.com writers talked about each team in the top 25 and their most daunting metric. For the Buckeyes, their lack of returning experience was their red flag. The Buckeyes had nine players declare early for the NFL Draft, and are returning just six starters from the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. For a non college football superpower, this might be a huge concern. That's not to say it's not a big deal for the Buckeyes. But if anybody could recover from it, it's them.

The best news for the Bucks is that J.T. Barrett is back, and will undoubtedly be the quarterback this season. He, along with the rest of the Buckeye offense finished the 2015 campaign strong, and hope to carry that momentum into 2016. Barrett will have plenty of new options at wide receiver, and if Urban Meyer's past tells you anything, he will get the most out of the talent that's given to him. Just ask any of the Buckeyes that were drafted in April.

"Ryan Shazier is a freak."

- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com

This is a fact. After the Pittsburgh Steelers practice, Shazier raced against Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, and Antonio brown in a 40-yard dash. All three receivers have recorded 4.4s in the 40-yard dash, per Fowler. Shazier himself ran an unofficial 4.36 at Ohio State's pro day.

And Shazier won the race:

Shazier has had injuries in the past two seasons, but came on strong at the end of the year last season. Once he's able to get healthy and more experience on the field with the speed of the NFL game, there's no telling how good he can be. But the sky is the limit for a guy who just outran arguably the best receiver in football right now.

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