Moving On: Jerome Baker

COLUMBUS, Ohio - It might be a long time before Ohio State gets a linebacker who is quite as dynamic as Jerome Baker.

The former four-star recruit from Benedictine in Cleveland ranked as the No. 50 player in the country and No. 1 player in the state in the 2015 class by Rivals. Pursued by a bevy of Big Ten schools and other top programs like Georgia and Miami (FL), Baker only visited one other school (Florida) other than Ohio State before committing to play in Columbus.

With a few plays under his belt during his freshman year, Baker exploded into prominence on defense with a pick-six against Oklahoma in 2016. The former running back in high school produced a rare level of speed for a linebacker, combined with a nose for the football and a strong frame to help plug up running lanes when necessary.

Influenced by the likes of Raekwon McMillan, Darron Lee and Josh Perry, Baker was a key part of Ohio State defenses in 2016 and 2017 that allowed less than 20 points per game each year. In his second year with the program, Baker was second on the team in tackles, followed up by the team lead in 2017.

Arguably, Baker's last season for the Buckeyes was slightly below the mark he set in 2016. Still, there will be plenty of interest in the fleet-footed linebacker who earned 159 total tackles, 17.5 for loss, seven sacks and three defensive touchdowns over his career.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Baker was more dependant on his speed than anything else to beat opposing offensive lines and was occasionally out of sorts in pass coverage. These two aspects of his game are things that can be worked on at the next level, but hurts his draft stock slightly.

Behind some of the other outside linebacker talent in the 2018 NFL draft, Baker sits at No. 6 for his position according to WalterFootball.com. Even with some criticisms ahead of the combine, Baker's name will still likely be called in the first few rounds.