Ohio State football: The importance of each Buckeye drafted in April

Round 4, Pick 102: DE Jalyn Holmes to the Minnesota Vikings.

Long-time Buckeye Jalyn Holmes was selected in the mid-tier rounds of the draft after falling to the Vikings in the fourth round. Holmes joins the rest of the stacked 2017 defensive line class as he was the third defensive end to be selected.

Describing Holmes’ draft position as ‘falling’ to the Vikings wouldn’t be a great way to describe it though. The Vikings are one of the best teams in the league. Falling a round later than expected means a little less when success is a little easier to achieve.

Holmes was a veteran for the Buckeyes as he’s been contributing since 2014. He’s experienced two Big Ten titles and a national championship during his tenure. However, he’s played a backseat role for most of his time on the team. This is to be expected though as the Buckeyes have had some of the most elite players come through their program on the defensive line especially.

Holmes wasn’t the most explosive pass rusher out there as he only logged five sacks over his career but he did provide consistency. Holmes was a large player at 6’5″ 270 pounds and could hold his ground. In fact, Holmes’ position was defensive tackle up until his junior year when he switched to end.

Sure enough, this switch to defensive end gave him an opportunity to up his game. Holmes played all 13 games in his junior year which he turned in nine tackles for loss and two sacks. He was more of a rotational piece than a solidified starter which perfectly fit into the Buckeyes’ scheme. Their rotation of down linemen gave them superior depth over their opponents.

As noted earlier, the Vikings are one of the best teams in the league. Further, the Vikings have one of the top-tier defensive units. Holmes will find it difficult to get playing time while competing beside the likes of Sheldon Richardson, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen. He will add great depth to an already spectacular Vikings defense.