Damon

Arnette

The former first-round bust made a comeback with the Texans this year and had a fairly successful preseason, intercepting one pass and finishing with a 49.9 PFF coverage grade. He’ll turn 29 in September and could latch on elsewhere.

This was the first stunner of the draft. A three-year starter who lined up across the field from Denzel Ward and Jeffrey Okudah during his time at Ohio State, Arnette (6’0/195) earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a redshirt senior after allowing 5.5 yards per target and a 45 percent catch rate in coverage. On tape, he’s an aggressive press-man corner who is great near the line of scrimmage, but he’s not as polished downfield, struggling with only four picks since 2017. He’ll also be a 24-year-old rookie with character concerns despite heightening his maturity by leaps and bounds in his final year; Ohio State head coach Ryan Day: “The strides he’s taken the last year have been unbelievable.” Arnette’s 4.56 40-time had him off most analysts’ first-round big boards, but he has the ceiling of a man-to-man starter as long as his personal growth persists.

Arnette (6'0/195) allowed a 60.6 passer rating against while committing four penalties in 2019. Arnette has received criticism stemming from his 4.56 40-yard dash time at the combine and his perceived inability to stay with faster wide receivers at the NFL level. PFF’s Mike Renner ranks Arnette as the 74th best overall prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft class. The All-Big Ten selection should be a Day 2 selection in this April’s draft.

Not a great sprint for Arnette, who came into the combine week facing questions regarding his overall burst and athleticism. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein does like the 6-foot, 195-pounder’s size, as well as his general physicality and strength. But the speed, here, is problematic. PFF’s Mike Renner ranks Arnette as the No. 74 prospect in this class.

“Inside/outside cornerback with NFL size and strength but a lack of fluidity and burst that might make him best-suited as a zone corner,” Zierlein, who believes that Arnette (6'0/195) could struggle with speedy wideouts that stretch things vertically, wrote in his analysis. Returning to school for his senior season worked out well for Arnette from a production standpoint, as he earned second team All-Big Ten honors. He projects to be a Day 2 selection in April’s draft.

Arnette (6'0/195) is a three-year starter at CB for OSU, racking up 139 tackles, 103 solo, five interceptions, 21 passes defended and two forced fumbles in his Buckeye career. This season, Arnette recorded 34 tackles, 26 solo, 1 TFL, seven passes defended and one interception that he ran-back 96 yards for a touchdown. Though his secondary mate Jeffrey Okudah is the more heralded prospect, Arnette received a first-second round grade from noted draft analyst Tony Pauline earlier this year and is a solid NFL prospect in his own right.

Arnette (6'0/195) smothered his assigned Indiana wide receiver all afternoon while picking off a 3rd quarter Peyton Ramsay pass and taking it 96-yards for a touchdown in the lopsided OSU victory. Arnette chose to forego the NFL draft last year and looks to improve his 2020 draft stock with more performances like this. Ohio State welcomes Miami, OH to the Horseshoe this Saturday.

Arnette (6'0/195) and Jeffery Okudah give the Buckeyes serious outside corner talent. Last year, Arnette received slightly better PFF coverage grades between the two, but Okudah is the bigger name in scouting circles. Arnette was a candidate to declare early after a decent 2018 season, but he opted to return to help his draft stock. He should check boxes athletically, making him a reasonable Day 2 prospect.

As Bill Rabinowitz reports, this is a bit of a surprise, as Arnette was believed to be leaning towards entering the NFL Draft. Not that anyone associated with Ohio State is complaining. The Buckeyes defense struggled at times, but Arnette (6'0/195) was mostly solid, and he should help solidify the backend of the Ohio State defense in 2019.

Arnette suffered the injury while tackling Penn State WR Mac Hippenhammer, with the helmets of the two players coming together on the hit. The redshirt sophomore CB remained crouched down on the field for a short period before being walked back to the Ohio State locker room.