Ohio State OL Wyatt Davis Declares for 2021 NFL Draft After Big Ten Postponement

Ohio State offensive lineman Wyatt Davis announced Friday he's declared for the 2021 NFL draft with the fate of the Big Ten college football season still uncertain.

Davis told Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel he was trying to wait for more information from the Big Ten before making a decision, but with other conferences already starting play, he's opted to focus on the future.

The potential first-round draft pick said:

"My family and I were waiting to hear any good news that there would be a possibility to play in the fall. As the weeks went on, after the initial cancellation, the news didn't seem in favor that we would have an opportunity to play for a national championship if there was a season. At this point, my family and I made the decision that it would be my best decision to take the next step."

Davis is the first member of OSU's roster to opt out of the season to declare for next year's draft.

His announcement comes one day after Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day posted a plea on Twitter for the Big Ten to reconsider its decision quickly so the team could compete for a national title:

Davis, a redshirt junior who was voted a consensus All-American in 2019, told Thamel that opportunity to help Ohio State push for a championship was at the forefront of his mind when he returned to school rather than entering the 2020 draft.

"It's really heartbreaking," he said. "I believe that we would have won the national championship this year. It's really unfortunate. I feel for all those guys, especially the younger players going into this year having that taken away from them. It's tough, but we are in a pandemic. It's just really unfortunate. We had something really special."

Instead, he'll prepare himself to enter the NFL next year as a highly touted prospect.

"My biggest strength would be getting movement off the ball and playing with a nasty edge," Davis told Thamel. "I do believe I'm the best guard in this draft and my film will back me up."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected Davis to come off the board with the No. 32 overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in an early 2021 mock draft:

"Wyatt Davis is a mauler at guard, but he's also athletic enough to work in the Chiefs' zone-heavy blocking scheme. He can get after linebackers, he can peel and trap, and he can pull. His agility, vision and all-around blocking game would be an ideal boost for [Patrick] Mahomes and incoming rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire."

Davis should be an instant-impact player at the next level and the Buckeyes will struggle to replace him should the Big Ten eventually move forward with a football season in the fall or next spring.