Buckeye Clips: Wild Card Weekend

Now that the curtain has finally closed on the chaos that was the 2020 college football season, we can finally give our full attention to the NFL and the few former Buckeyes who live to see another day in the playoffs. After last weekend’s wild card round, we’re down to just eight teams advancing to next weekend’s divisional round, meaning our list of Buckeyes in the NFL is slowly but surely dwindling.

Even with our list less than half of what it usually is, there were still a few standout performances by former Ohio State football players worth highlighting.

The Rookies

Wild card weekend was crawling with Ohio State rookies, and funnily enough, the two best performances came from two guys who were absolute steals by their respective teams, and have made that fact known via their performances since Week 1 of the NFL season. Yes, I’m talking about Rams safety Jordan Fuller and Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins, picked No. 199 and No. 55 in the 2020 NFL Draft, respectively.

In the Ram’s 30-20 victory over the Seahawks on Saturday, Fuller led the team with seven total tackles, four of which were solo. He will enter next Saturday’s game against the Packers with 60 total tackles (42 solo), three interceptions and five pass breakups.

While every single Buckeye fan in the country knew this would happen, Dobbins has shocked the league during his first year in Baltimore. In the Ravens’ 20-13 win over the Titans, Dobbins had nine carries for 45 yards (second only to Lamar Jackson) and one touchdown. Heading into their divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Dobbins has 805 yards rushing on 134 carries and nine touchdowns, along with 18 receptions for 120 yards.

Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye rookies...

• Unfortunately, the Bucs didn’t take kindly to Chase Young calling out Tom Brady last week. The Washington Football Team rookie only had three tackles in their 31-23 loss to the Buccaneers. But that doesn’t take away from the monster season Young had up until last weekend. The former Ohio State DE ends his rookie year with 44 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Plus, Brady didn’t have any hard feelings.

• Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison had three total tackles in their victory over the Titans. So far this season, the rookie has 44 total tackles and one pass deflection.

The Veterans

A handful of Buckeye veterans also made headlines, and while Washington standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s performance against the Bucs wasn’t too shabby (6/7 receptions for 75 yards), his biggest accomplishment of the week has nothing to do with his physical abilities and everything to do with who he is as a person. McLaurin ends his year with 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns.

After not having played since Dec. 13 due to an ankle injury, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas came back with a vengeance, helping his team secure a win with five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown— a historic touchdown, actually.

Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye veterans...

• Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins recorded three tackles and one QB hit on Sunday. For the year, the veteran has 69 total tackles, one forced fumble, three interceptions and ten pass deflections.

• Another strong Buckeye presence in New Orleans’ secondary, Marshon Lattimore had two tackles and two pass breakups on Sunday. He heads into next weekend’s game with 52 total tackles, two interceptions and eleven pass breakups.