Ohio State football: Pair of Buckeyes taken in third round of NFL Draft

More than two hours passed before the first Ohio State football player was taken on the second night of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Nicholas Petit-Frere finally broke the ice when he was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the third round.

The 69th overall pick is the first offensive lineman selected from Ohio State this year and the third player overall.

The 6-5, 316-pound Florida native opted to turn pro after making the All-Big Ten first team and earning first-team All-America honors, though his stock took a hit in his last game as a Buckeye when he struggled against Michigan.

Ironically, Petit-Frere could eventually replace Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan, a former first-round pick from Michigan.

Thirty-two picks after Petit-Frere, Jeremy Ruckert came off the board when the New York Jets grabbed him.

Ruckert, who hails from Long Island, caught 26 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns last season.

He is viewed by some NFL talent evaluators as a player with the potential to have a bigger impact in the NFL than he did in college because of his all-around game and the increasing emphasis on the position in the pro game.

Ruckert is the 14th tight end from Ohio State to be drafted in the common era, which began in 1967. He is the seventh to be drafted since 2000 and the fourth third-rounder.

Luke Farrell was a fifth-round pick of the Jaguars last season, so Ohio State has had tight ends picked in consecutive drafts for the third time.

Mike Bartoszek went in 1975 with Larry Kain following him in ‘76, and Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett were drafted in 2015 and ‘16, respectively.

Ohio State receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were picked in the first round Thursday night.

Petit-Frere is the first Ohio State offensive tackle drafted since Isaiah Prince in 2019.

The last OSU tackle taken in one of the first three rounds was Butler High School grad Taylor Decker, who went No. 16 overall to the Detroit Lions in 2016.

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