O-H: Buckeyes lead the country with 14 players invited to NFL Combine

Their Ohio State careers may be over, but 14 former Buckeyes received an invitation to the 2016 NFL Combine, the school announced on Thursday. The 14 invitees are more than any other school in the country, Notre Dame (10) has the second most. For what it’s worth, nine Alabama players were invited and Ohio State’s biggest rival, That Team Up North, had just two (2!) invitees: center Graham Glasgow and offensive tackle Willie Henry.

The 14:

• Eli Apple, CB
• Vonn Bell, S
• Joey Bosa, DE
• Taylor Decker, OL
• Ezekiel Elliott, RB
• Cardale Jones, QB
• Darron Lee, LB
• Jalin Marshall, WR
• Braxton Miller, WR
• Joshua Perry, LB
• Tyvis Powell, S
• Michael Thomas, WR
• Nick Vannett, TE
• Adolphus Washington, DT

Those 14 consist of what many experts believe will be as many as seven first-round selections in the Draft as ESPN’s Todd McShay exatly that many Buckeyes being taken in the first round in his second mock draft.

In NFL.com’s Mike Mayock’s positional rankings, where he ranks the top five players at every position, Ezekiel Elliott is the top running back, ahead Alabama’s Derrick Henry (No. 2); Michael Thomas is the third best wide receiver, behind Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell and Baylor’s Corey Coleman; Nick Vannett is listed as the fourth tight end, behind Arkansas’ Hunter Henry, Stanford’s Austin Hooper, and South Carolina’s Jerrell Adams; Taylor Decker is the fourth among offensive tackles, behind Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil, Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley, and Michigan State’s Jack Conklin; Joey Bosa is the best edge rusher; Darron Lee is the fourth best linebacker, behind Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith, UCLA’s Myles Jack, and Alabama’s Reggie Ragland; Eli Apple is ranked as the fourth cornerback, behind Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey, Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves, and Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander; and Vonn Bell is the second best safety, only behind West Virginia’s Karl Joseph.

The NFL Combine will be held February 23-29 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, home of the Colts.

Some quick Ohio State facts about the combine:

• The scarlet and gray lose 16 starters in 2016, 13 of which were invited to the combine.
• The 2016 Fiesta Bowl that the Buckeyes played in has the most invitees (24), including the two schools who had the most.
• Ohio State and Michigan State have a combined 21 invitees, while the entire Big Ten West only has 20. The Big Ten East has 38 players invited.