Buckeyes In the NFL: A Giant Matchup
Buckeye Rookies in the NFL are playing well.
One of the most intriguing lines concerning former Buckeyes in their second games in the NFL was Eli Apple going up against Michael Thomas. Apple, a cornerback for the New York Giants, went head to head against his former teammate Thomas, a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints.
Thomas had a nice game against the Giants with four receptions for 56 yards. Think there was some trash talking going on during the game? There was plenty of that when they were teammates at Ohio State.
Apple started in place of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback in the Giants base defense and played the entire game. The Giants won the game 16-13 on a 23 yard field goal by Josh Brown as time expired.
Other former Buckeyes had fine games for the Saints as well. James Laurinaitis had a fumble recovery and Vonn Bell recorded nine tackles.
One play by a real Giant gave New York it’s only touchdown of the game. Former Buckeye defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins blocked a 38 yard field attempt that was returned 65 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Janoris Jackson.
Another New York Buckeye had a nice second game as well but for a different team. Jets linebacker Darron Lee saw significant playing time for the second straight game.
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Lee was projected to be a defensive specialist for the Jets his rookie season but it looks as though he is becoming more of an every down player already. If he continues to show his speed, and can split offensive linemen to get a tackle for a loss on a running back like he did Sunday, he will almost certainly see his playing time increase.
Jets wide receiver Jalin Marshall put up receiving stats for the first time this season in the win over the Buffalo Bills. Marshall had 3 catches for 45 yards with a long gain of 27.
Ezekiel Elliott had a better game Sunday against the Washington Redskins than he did against the New York Giants. He rushed 21 times for 83 yards, a big improvement over his 51 yards on 20 carries in his NFL debut.
However, his last carry resulted in his second fumble of the game. That ended Elliott’s day and he was replaced by Alfred Morris who scored the game winning touchdown.
Elliott never had ball security issues in his three years playing for Ohio State. The rookie had better get those issues straightened up because Zeke does much of his damage after his 20th carry.
It will be fun following the Buckeye rookies in the NFL, as well as the veterans, as the season progresses. With 14 first year players on NFL teams and approximately 40 former Ohio State players in total, it should be an interesting season.