Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, meet the NFL draft.
Again, and again.
The Buckeyes' coach witnessed the draft in person for the first time earlier this month, at the behest of former OSU star linebacker and Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Ryan Shazier. The experience changed Meyer's mind about his attendance at the draft going forward. And you can bet it won't be bad for Buckeyes recruiting, either.
"I've been invited to the draft every year, whenever I had a first-rounder, which was a lot," Meyer told cleveland.com. "I never went because I always felt like you were taking away from the players. And it's your chance to sit down with your (own) wife and your family for a weekend. And (Shazier) called me and I said, 'I don't think I'm going.' And he said, 'No, you've got to go.' And I'll never miss it now."
Many first-round picks are on hand at New York's Radio City Music Hall as guests of the league. Shazier and OSU cornerback Bradley Roby were among 30 players invited this year. Being at the draft in person not only affords Meyer the chance to support his elite former players, it's a recruiting opportunity, as well. Recruits watch the draft like anyone else, but when draft prospects get their TV face time, it's all about where they're going.
When their coach gets his, it's more a reminder of where they've been.
Alabama coach Nick Saban has been a regular at the draft in support of the Crimson Tide's first-round picks, of which there have been 16 since he took over the program in 2007. Now, he'll be seeing a bit more of his former SEC rival coach around draft time.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
