Five Questions for Buckeyes after NFL Draft deadline

COLUMBUS -- There was one Ohio State surprise.

The Buckeyes also won a handful of coin-flip decisions.

And despite at least giving a couple superstars something more to think about as the NFL Draft deadline approached, everything else played out exactly as the Buckeyes would have projected.

All told, that amounted to a win for the program when the clock struck midnight on Monday and that particular portion of the roster-management phase of the offseason came to a close.

At the level Ohio State recruits and develops talent, it's always going to suffer attrition at this time of year, and it was already prepared for that with guys like C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones having made their intentions clear all along. Even when Luke Wypler entered his name for consideration, the shock could really only be viewed as mild since he was a two-year starter at a position where he might rise as one of the top options on the board.

But amongst both the guys who are staying at Ohio State and leaving, there are some lingering questions heading into winter workouts. And Dotting The Eyes is taking a closer look at where a bit of uncertainty remains in the buildup to spring camp in March.

The expectation throughout last season was that Luke Wypler would be back to anchor the offensive line and Matthew Jones would be ready to move on after a lengthy career with Ohio State. The decisions flipped for both of them, and there might now be another swap in the works with Jones sliding over to take his position.

Jones electing to return for his final year of eligibility might go down as the most critical under-the-radar move of the offseason for the Buckeyes. He's got the versatility to play either guard or center, which certainly softens the blow with Wypler gone and opens up flexibility for position coach Justin Frye to piece together the unit. Nothing is certain at this point, although the combinations on the inside are likely going to come down to whether Jakob James is ready to play center or if Jones needs to move to the middle with Enokk Vimahi stepping up at guard. Ohio State has time to work through all of that, but stabilizing the group and building consistency with the snapping will be even more important with a new quarterback running the show.

The Buckeyes and a couple national advertisers made the decision slightly more difficult than C.J. Stroud might have imagined, but it still ended just the way everybody anticipated with the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist moving on to the NFL Draft. So, let the race begin to replace him.

Both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown will have everything they do evaluated under a microscope for the next few months, starting with the way they tackle winter workouts and the leadership respond they get from the rest of the roster. Those both carry weight even before they put on the pads in March for 15 key workouts that set the foundation for a decision with national-title implications. Day has been steadfast in the past with a commitment to not ending position battles in April even when there's a clear leader, and that's not likely to change this time. But it will be fascinating to see how he handles the reps, the conversation about his candidates and ultimately the choice he makes at this critical juncture for the program.

Arguably the best linebacker in the country is returning to Ohio State. His roommate and sidekick in the starting lineup is back with another year of experience alongside him. There is simply nothing but upside for the Buckeyes in having Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers leading the charge for the Silver Bullets again.

There is, though, a couple interesting subplots for how Ohio State will utilize the rising talent in the defensive pipeline -- starting with C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles. The Buckeyes showed flashes of creativity with their personnel groupings at times in the first year with Jim Knowles as the coordinator, and Styles is included in this linebacker conversation because he was essentially functioning as one in the Peach Bowl. He and Hicks are both bursting with athleticism, and the latter could possibly emerge as a weapon in the hybrid Jack position. Ohio State is unlikely to take Eichenberg off the field for any snap of significance, and Chambers has proven just as critical as a near-every-down tackler. So, that kind of role would have to wait for somebody like Hicks -- but that doesn't mean Ohio State won't be finding a way to get him involved.

Josh Fryar can safely be penciled into one spot on the edge of the offensive line, although it's not exactly set in stone whether that should be on the left side or still on the right where he played last season in a spot start. After that, though, there's a pretty large question mark looming as the Buckeyes try to replace both Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones.

The Buckeyes took swings at a handful of blockers in the transfer portal, but at this point it has failed to connect with any of them. But there is no sense of desperation coming from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for two reasons: They will be uniquely positioned to land a veteran if the need remains pressing in the May portal window and they have the benefit of giving extra spring reps to guys like Zen Michalski or George Fitzpatrick to gauge their readiness. One way or another, this situation is going to require some patience for the Buckeyes.

Miyan Williams is back after proving himself to be one of the nation's most relentless rushers, turning down the NFL Draft to stick with the Buckeyes.

TreVeyon Henderson has already had surgery to regain his explosiveness after a foot injury slowed him down as a sophomore.

Dallan Hayden is carrying momentum into his second season after emerging late in the year, Evan Pryor is set to come back from a leg injury suffered in training camp and Chip Trayanum appears to have a preference to play tailback.

That's a lot for the Buckeyes to manage in the backfield, and that's without even factoring in the somewhat unexpected return of Xavier Johnson as a do-it-all weapon. Again, it's always better to have too much talent than not enough, so Ohio State certainly won't complain. But that doesn't mean it won't be a challenge for the coaching staff to figure out the best way to incorporate all that skill into the rotation.