Ohio State WR Jalin Marshall declares for 2016 NFL Draft

Ohio State will be losing yet another top talent in Jalin Marshall, who has declared for the draft. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes already have a lot of talent that they need to replace next season as they defend their Big Ten Championship, and now that issue has gotten a little worse. On Monday, versatile wide receiver Jalin Marshall announced that he too will be entering the 2016 NFL Draft this coming spring.

Marshall burst onto the scene in 2014 as a redshirt freshman and he made an immediate impact as he helped the Buckeyes claim the national title in the first ever College Football Playoff. During that season, Marshall caught 38 balls for 499 yards and six touchdowns. He also added in a punt return for a touchdown as well.

His numbers dwindled a little this past season as he caught 36 passes for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Still, he was one of the more important members of the Ohio State offense and he will not be one that’s easy to replace on this team, especially with the versatility he brought to the table.

As far as where he could go in the draft, you’d initially believe he could be a late-second, early-third round pick for any team that’s out there looking for a play maker. He could bring to a team what someone like Tavon Austin brings to the St. Louis Rams, where he could be a special teams contributor and help out anywhere on the offensive side of the ball that he can, whether that be as a wide receiver split out or coming out of the backfield.

But, again, just another piece of the Ohio State puzzle that needs to be replaced.