Which Ohio State players does Mel Kiper Jr. have selected in final 2023 NFL mock draft?
It's draft day.
Starting with the first round of the 2023 NFL draft in Kansas City, Missouri Thursday night, three Ohio State football players — quarterback C.J. Stroud, offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — are expected to hear where they will start their NFL careers.
And hours before the draft, ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. put in his final predictions as to where Stroud, Johnson and Smith-Njigba would end up.
No. 3 Tennessee Titans (via mock trade with Arizona Cardinals): QB C.J. Stroud
No. 9 Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
No. 22 Baltimore Ravens: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
In a projected trade with the Arizona Cardinals, Kiper has Stroud going to the Tennessee Titans, calling the former Ohio State quarterback a "stellar downfield passer with pinpoint accuracy and anticipation" while admitting he likes "Will Levis (Kentucky) just a little bit more."
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While the Bears take the "top lineman" in Johnson, Kiper has Smith-Njigba falling to No. 22 for a Baltimore Ravens team that "could be a star out of the slot."
Here's more final mock drafts ahead of the official start of the 2023 NFL draft Thursday night.
Final 2023 NFL mock drafts: Where do C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson Jr. end up?
No. 4 Indianapolis Colts: QB C.J. Stroud
No. 9 Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
No. 12 Houston Texans: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
USA Today's Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has Stroud off the board at No. 4 in "a dream scenario" for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, while both Johnson (No. 9 Chicago Bears) and Smith-Njigba (No. 12 Houston Texans) are the first at their positions selected.
No. 3 Tennessee Titans (via mock trade with Arizona Cardinals): QB C.J. Stroud
No. 9 Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
No. 13 Green Bay Packers (via New York Jets): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Like Kiper, NFL.com's Peter Schrager also has Stroud selected by the Tennessee Titans in a mock trade with the Arizona Cardinals, while the Chicago Bears land a "splashy offensive tackle" in Johnson and the Green Bay Packers gets its first first-round wide receiver since 2002 in Smith-Njigba.
No. 7 Los Vegas Raiders: OT Paris Johnson Jr.
No. 8 Tennessee Titans (via mock trade with Atlanta Falcons): QB C.J. Stroud
No. 21 Los Angeles Chargers: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Johnson is the first Ohio State player off the board in CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso's final mock draft going to the Los Vegas Raiders at No. 7. Stroud is immediately next as the Titans trade up with the Atlanta Falcons to find its "potential franchise quarterback," while Smith-Njigba is the first wide receiver off the board at No. 21 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mel Kiper Jr. picks three Ohio State players in final NFL mock draft
