Ohio State Football: 5 Toughest Defenders Buckeyes Will Face in 2016

The Big Ten had 24 of its premier defenders selected in this year's NFL draft, but with players such as Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis, Northwestern linebacker Anthony Walker and Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers back, Ohio State will see no shortage of defensive standouts this fall. 

The elite playmakers won't just come in conference play, though, as a Week 3 showdown with Oklahoma will throw a talented cornerback at quarterback J.T. Barrett and a young wide receiver corps.

Ohio State is looking to continue its incredible run under head coach Urban Meyer, averaging just one loss per season since the start of 2012.

The Buckeyes will have to come up with answers for these five defenders for that success to continue. 

No. 5: Jordan Thomas

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One of the marquee nonconference games of the year will present a difficult challenge for Ohio State's passing attack when it faces Oklahoma's Jordan Thomas. 

The junior cornerback has loads of experience after winning a starting gig at the tail end of his freshman season in 2014. He carried that momentum into 2015, when he started in 11 of the Sooners' 13 games and grew into a star in a loaded secondary.

Thomas ranked second on the team with nine pass breakups and five interceptions, one of which he returned 32 yards for a touchdown. His strong play earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors from ESPN and second-team All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press. 

Ohio State's reworked wide receiver corps will have to come together quickly by the time the Week 3 matchup with Oklahoma rolls around. 

No. 4: Malik McDowell

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Ohio State was one of the teams that recruited Malik McDowell the hardest when he was a coveted 5-star defensive lineman in the 2014 class, but it was head coach Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans that celebrated his commitment on national signing day. 

The Buckeyes will feel the sting of that loss again when they travel to East Lansing in Week 12 for a showdown with the Spartans. 

McDowell anchored Michigan State's defensive line alongside Shilique Calhoun a season ago, piling up 13.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, marks that ranked second on the team. It was a breakout sophomore campaign that was rewarded with first-team All-Big Ten honors from ESPN and second-team conference honors from the media.

But with Calhoun off to the NFL, Dantonio and the Spartans defensive staff are looking to showcase McDowell's versatility by shifting him along the line.

"He will play everywhere, that’s for sure," MSU defensive line coach Ron Burton said, according to Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. "No maybes. He will play everywhere."

No. 3: Jabrill Peppers

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It looks like Michigan is trying to turn Jabrill Peppers into Darron Lee 2.0, and that could be a nightmare for Ohio State to deal with on the final Saturday of November.

The 6'1", 208-pound missile of a defender was a mainstay in Michigan's secondary last year, tallying 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups. He was one of the breakout stars in the Big Ten last year, winning the league's Freshman of the Year award while landing on the Big Ten first-team defense and the All-American second-team defense. 

But the Wolverines are looking to increase the athleticism of their defense, so they moved the team's fastest and most athletic player to the linebacker unit. And after a successful spring camp in his new role, defensive coordinator Don Brown is excited for 2016.

"He's going to kill it," teammate Jourdan Lewis said, according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. "He's so athletic, he can do it all. But at linebacker, that's pretty much unheard of to have an athlete like that."

No. 2: Anthony Walker

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Anthony Walker was a solid linebacker as a redshirt freshman in 2014, but he burst onto the national stage last year and is expected to be one of the country's top defenders this fall.

After solidifying a starting spot in the Wildcats defense, Walker emerged as a one-man wrecking crew, piling up a team-high 113 tackles and an incredible 19.5 tackles for loss, a mark that ranked second nationally. He was a big part of Northwestern's unexpected success in 2015, and he was named a consensus first-team All-Big Ten defender and earned All-American honors from both Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

But what makes him an even better defender is the leadership traits he brings to the field.

"Anthony feels much more comfortable being out in front of the group, really being the guy who says ‘follow me,’" Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said last year, according to Alex Putterman of the Daily Northwestern. 

Both his linebacker skills and leadership should make another big leap this fall, and the Buckeyes will have their hands full when they meet the Wildcats on Oct. 29.

No. 1: Jourdan Lewis

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While Ohio State tries to find an answer for Jabrill Peppers in his new role at linebacker, it'll still have a hard time working things on the perimeter with Jourdan Lewis lining up at cornerback for the Wolverines.

The 5'10", 175-pound defensive back morphed into an absolute star in Jim Harbaugh's defense, registering 52 tackles and an unbelievable 20 pass breakups, which ranked third nationally. He was named a first-team All-American by USA Today and a second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and the AP.

Despite Peppers' move to the linebacker unit, Lewis still expects Michigan's secondary to be the best in the nation, according to Max Cohen of the Detroit Free Press:

"

Be the No. 1. Undisputed No. 1. Our secondary wasn’t the No. 1 secondary (in the) country, but that’s what I’m looking for, our unit being the best, winning some of those awards and getting a national championship. That’s what my mind-set and all of our mind-sets is, in the secondary especially.

"

That's a possibility because Lewis is that special of a cornerback. By the end of the regular season, Ohio State's passing attack should be hitting on all cylinders. It'll have to bring its best when Michigan comes to town, because it'll face its stiffest challenge of the season when it lines up against Lewis.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.