Ohio State football: The importance of each Buckeye drafted in April
By Alec Hartman
Round 2, Pick 64: DE Tyquan Lewis to the Indianapolis Colts
Yet another veteran Buckeye is whisked up from the draft. The Colts selected defensive end Tyquan Lewis with the final pick of the second round. The Colts traded up to get this pick from the Browns. This was a great decision considering the Colts’ need for fresh pass rushers.
More from Ohio State Buckeyes
- Ohio State losing Quinn Ewers a week after the Michigan loss is bad optics
- Ohio State football: CFP still possible as long as defense not hot mess
- Ohio State football: Once C.J. Stroud settled in, Minnesota was done
- Ohio State basketball: Aaron Craft back in uniform for Buckeyes
- 2021 NFL Draft chatter: Justin Fields falls into Patriots laps after trade up?
Like Price, Lewis played at Ohio State for four seasons. Since his sophomore year in 2015, Lewis has played a major role in the Buckeyes’ great defensive success over the past few seasons. He provided great pressure off the edge and has been at or near the top of the stat sheet in quarterback sacks each season.
The problem is Lewis ended up peaking during his sophomore season and his numbers only went downhill from there. Lewis had 31 solo tackles, 23 assists, 14 tackles for loss, and eight sacks in 2015. He led the team in sacks that season. Those numbers were nearly cut in half in the following season even though he played one more game.
The 2017 season only fared worse where his total tackle count neared single digits. However, this didn’t stop Lewis from sacking the quarterback. He still had eight sacks in 2016 and seven last season.
Regardless, his numbers were still good in comparison to other defensive ends around the nation. In fact, Lewis was named to the first-team 2016 All-Big Ten Conference team and Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year. This stacked resume that he continued to build on over his four seasons at Ohio State against some of the nation’s best competition certainly earned him a high spot on the draft boards.
Lewis should contribute immediately on the Colts’ defense as one of their top picks. The Colts have plenty of work to do in rebuilding their defense with new or young players so rotating Lewis in early and often would certainly be the right move. Expect to hear Lewis’ name often as he should catch many off guard when he’s taking down quarterbacks in the backfield earlier than anybody expected.