Ethan Onianwa is hard to miss.<\/p>\n
And if he plays the way some expect he will this season, Ohio State’s new offensive lineman should be powering straight into the NFL.<\/p>\n
Onianwa transferred to OSU from Rice and is a crucial cog for the defending national champions, who are without four of their starting O-linemen from a season ago.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-6, 357-pounder played four years with the Owls and now takes the big step up in competition to the Big Ten.<\/p>\n
Last season, Onianwa allowed no sacks and just eight total pressures while committing just two penalties, per ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n Onianwa played mostly left tackle last season with Rice, and he has experience at both tackle spots.<\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Syracuse has a 17-year old freshman who could be a 2-way player<\/a><\/p>\n He’ll get a big test in Week 1 when the stacked Texas pass rush gets a crack at him.<\/p>\n If he passes that test, Onianwa’s name should quickly rise up draft boards.<\/p>\n “In a 2026 class that looks loaded at offensive tackle, Onianwa has plenty of competition atop that group,” ESPN’s Matt Miller writes<\/a>. “If he can ace the Ohio State schedule and lock down future first-round pass rushers, his stock will soar.”<\/p>\n The Buckeyes will especially need guys like Onianwa to step up given that they’re breaking in a new quarterback, most likely Julian Sayin.<\/p>\n Will Howard was a veteran by the time he transferred to Columbus to play last season. Whoever wins the job this time around will have a lot less college experience.<\/p>\n That’s where the experience of a guy like Onianwa can help even things out. He knows how to keep his QB upright, and that’s exactly what Ohio State, and NFL scouts, want to see.<\/p>\n