Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said during his Monday news conference that he has yet to have an NFL draft discussion with three key Buckeyes juniors: quarterback Braxton Miller, cornerback Bradley Roby and linebacker Ryan Shazier.
He said he planned to talk to each of the trio but that the conversations would come after the season.
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Asked specifically whether he thought Miller would be best served by staying for his senior season, Meyer said, "I don't know."
That he was asked only about Miller may signal that the media who cover Ohio State think Roby and Shazier seem likely to turn pro. But Miller is an interesting case.
In late October, Meyer said Miller wasn't a finished product. Miller did go through a sterling three-game stretch from Oct. 19 through Nov. 2 in which he threw for 707 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception, and completed 79.7 percent of his passes. But in his most recent game, this past Saturday's 60-35 romp against Illinois, Miller was just 13 of 29 (44.8 percent) in windy conditions against a horrible Illinois defense. He did throw two TDs and no picks, though.
Still, as NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote Monday, Miller's throwing skills need significant refinement. Miller is an excellent athlete who is both quick and physical as a runner, but he never has shown much consistency as a passer. Meyer said he has improved tremendously on the read-option this season.
If Miller does decide to leave early, there is no clear-cut heir apparent. Backup Kenny Guiton is a senior. Redshirt freshman Cardale Jones, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, has seen mop-up duty in three games, throwing two passes and rushing 17 times. J.T. Barrett is redshirting this fall as a true freshman; numerous schools recruited him as a cornerback, though.
Guiton, by the way, told reporters Monday that he hopes to be coaching at Ohio State a year from now.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
