COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State opened its doors for 142 NFL representatives as 17 former players went through pro day. The Buckeyes have a chance to break Georgia’s 2022 record of 15 players taken in a single draft next month and Wednesday was another step toward making it happen. It was also a day for head coach Ryan Day and the rest of the program to say goodbye to a group of guys responsible for a national championship. “Across the board, I think our guys looked great,” Day said. “The goal today was to get over 150 personnel here from the NFL what they needed and then to get a move on because we know they’re time is valuable. I think they appreciate the efficiency of today.” A few players used this final public opportunity as Buckeyes to help their draft stock: Will Howard Crazy what happens when you have an established relationship with the guys you’re throwing to, huh? NFL Draft prep for quarterbacks is always weird because it’s a constant overreaction. If you throw at the NFL Combine, you run the risk of not looking great because you’re throwing with people you have absolutely no chemistry with. Then you turn around and throw to people you have the ultimate chemistry with at a pro day. The true evaluation of what you are throwing routes on air to wide-open targets is somewhere in the middle. Regardless, Will Howard helped himself on Wednesday just as he has for the last year. He’s upped his draft stock while helping show that Day can turn anybody into an NFL quarterback, regardless of their background or recruiting pedigree. Emeka Egbuka Emeka Egbuka’s Pro Day mission was essentially the same as Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s two years ago, except he did not have to prove he was 100% healthy. Everyone already thinks he’s good and his testing numbers just provided context as to why. As long as he reached a certain threshold, hearing his name on Day 1 should be the final conclusion. Smith-Njigba used a 4.48-second 40-yard dash time to make that happen in 2023. Egbuka ran his 0.03 seconds faster, pairing it with impressive numbers elsewhere and a quality throwing session. Now he waits until April 24, when he should be Brian Hartline’s fifth-straight first-round draft pick. Ty Hamilton Ty Hamilton has spent his entire career being the unsung hero of OSU’s defensive line. All of the attention has either gone to Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau as former five-star recruits, Michael Hall Jr. has the hot topic that became a three-and-done prospect or Tyleik Williams as the lower-rated guy-turned-potential first-round steal. Despite constantly being overlooked, his value has never been understated in the program while doing a thankless job as a nose tackle. Events like pro days and combines can often reveal his value with eye-popping numbers. There were seven defensive tackles at the combine with a 40-yard dash time under five seconds. Hamilton’s 4.95 at his pro day would’ve been on that list had he chosen to do it in Indianapolis. But his impressive day doesn’t stop there. His most impressive number was his 35 reps on the bench press which would’ve been the best by six reps at the combine. Hamilton waited until his pro day to do all the testing after a long season and it paid off. There’s a chance he made himself some money on Wednesday. Cody Simon has now paired a productive final season in Columbus — and a dominant College Football Playoff run — with a quality pro day. There is a chance someone gets Simon for great value in the later rounds of the draft as a guy with the potential to be much more than just a special teams contributor. OSU maximized Simon in 2024 while bringing the best out of him as a leader. Jordan Hancock The pro day taught me that maybe we didn’t emphasize the value of Jordan Hancock enough and we already knew he was underrated. OSU is already going to have a tough time filling his nickel spot, which turned into a role where a player needed to be able to do everything both a cornerback and safety do. But he’s a much better athlete than often given credit for. Who knew a 41.5-inch vertical, 4.42-second 40 time and a 10-6 broad jump were all living inside the same person. Now it makes sense why was such a big deal that a preseason hamstring injury ruined the major plans they had for him in 2022. It’s hard to gauge how important slot corners are to the NFL on draft day yet. But Hancocks’ numbers mean he’s not pigeon-holed in that role the same way other players in that position often are. Someone might be getting a steal on draft day.