INDIANAPOLIS – Of all eight players at the NFL Scouting Combine, it always seemed as if this was just a formality for linebacker Raekwon McMillan. The former five-star linebacker out of Hinesville (Ga.) already looked the part coming out of high school and now with a three-year college career to draw upon, McMillan is ready for the next level.
McMillan already has seen players like Darron Lee and Joshua Perry get their names called by the NFL and 2017 will be a good year for Ohio State's leading tackler of 2017 with 102 tackles. To go along with that were two forced fumbles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass breakups.
There have been a bunch of great linebackers to play at Ohio State and McMillan has his own legacy to look back upon.
"I’ve been a part of the national championship," McMillan said. "I’ve been a part of the Fiesta Bowl run and was a team captain. That’s what my legacy is. Being a team captain was definitely a blessing."
Not everything went according to plan for McMillan. The Buckeyes only lost four games over three seasons and while most players would love to have that kind of record, it falls short of what McMillan was striving for.
"No because I lost to Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Clemson and Penn State," McMillan said. "So it didn’t go as I wanted to."
McMillan is not currently among the top-five linebackers according to Mike Mayock of NFL Network. McMIllan is not paying attention to what the pundits are saying however and will let his tape speak for itself along with what he hopes to accomplish at the combine and the upcoming Ohio State Pro Day. McMillan wants to show that he is a first-round talent and will do whatever is asked of him.
"I can play Will linebacker and Mike linebacker and in some cases, even the Sam linebacker, depending on what team it is," McMillan said. " Anything my coach asks me to do, whether it’s drop 20 pounds, gain 20 pounds, play this position, do that, I’ll do it."
The Buckeyes are one of the hottest names to the NFL right now after a strong draft in 2016 and what could be a strong draft in 2017 with players like Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore seeming like high first round picks and guys like Curtis Samuel, Pat Elflein and of course McMillan himself looking to be strong day two candidates.
Ohio State has been very proud of its 'Developed Here' campaign. What does that mean to McMillan?
"Everything that Ohio State embodies, you can see it in me," McMillan said. "A guy who was highly recruited, but still was put through the grind, put through the chase. All the coaches there will develop the best in the nation, second to none."
