Ohio State Offensive Lineman Pat Elflein Receives National Media Praise at Combine

Ohio State offensive lineman Pat Elflein received praise from national media analysts and writers Friday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and appears to have helped his chances of being selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.

NFL Network's Charles Davis just gave Ohio State's Pat Elflein a shout-out for a strong on-field workout at combine this morning. FWIW.

— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) March 3, 2017

Draft analyst Mike Mayock is really high on Pat Elflein. Says he is a “plug-in player on Day 1,” likely second round pick.

— Eric Seger (@EricSeger33) March 3, 2017

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock was impressed with Elflein’s physical workout, as he ran a 5.32 40-yard dash and called him “NFL-ready.”

Mayock also indicated he has been impressed by Elflein’s poise throughout his career, as the center made a grand entrance in the regular season finale of his redshirt freshman year (2013), coming into the game for Marcus Hall, who was ejected in the second quarter.

Elflein played the rest of the game at right guard and went on to start the next 40 games throughout his college career, splitting time between right guard and center.

He transitioned to center before his senior year and was named the Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2016.

“It seems like nothing bothers that kid,” Mayock said of the 22-year-old from Pickerington, Ohio.

“I can play left guard, center and right guard at a high level,” Elflein told reporters at the combine.

While every NFL team could use offensive linemen, the Cleveland Browns went through one of the roughest seasons in recent memory in 2016 when it came to injuries to the offensive line.

The Browns lost Alex Mack to free-agency in March of 2016 and struggled to fill the void, as the 19th overall pick from the 2015 NFL Draft, Cameron Erving did not develop as hoped.

Perhaps Cleveland will give Elflein a look as a possible candidate to bolster the offensive line, with an aging Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio coming off an injury, and John Greco as the only other proven starter on the roster.

The Browns own picks 33, 52, and 65 overall in rounds two through three. Elflein could land somewhere in that range, according to most NFL Draft projections.

Elflein confirmed to reporters he met with the New York Jets already and will likely draw interest from many NFL teams. As 2016 proved in Cleveland, you can never have too many offensive linemen.