Ohio State center Luke Wypler talks Raiders’ tackle Thayner Munford

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Offensive linemen take to the podium during the Combine, and Ohio State center Luke Wypler talks to me about his ex-schoolmate who now plays for the Raiders; Thayer Munford.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has been a Heisman finalist two years in a row. In 2021, Stroud recorded the second-highest efficiency rating in the FBS. The following year, in 2022, the 21-year-old signal caller led the FBS in efficiency rating.

The school’s center, Luke Wypler, has been a key part of this success.

Thayer Munford plays for the Las Vegas Raiders now, but in 2021, he lined up on Ohio State’s line as a captain alongside Wypler.

On Saturday, during the annual NFL Combine, I asked Wypler about the type of leader Munford is.

“Thayer was like a big brother to me,” Wypler said immediately. “He was [kind of] our leader my first two years at Ohio State. He was one of – I have to say – one of the best leaders I’ve actually ever played with,” he continued.

That’s a lot of praise for the Raiders’ seventh-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Luke Wypler continues the Thayer Munford talk

Although Munford fell to the seventh-round in last year’s draft, the now-former Ohio State tackle accomplished great things at the school.

Munford was a four-year starter on the line, becoming a team captain in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media during his ’20 and ’21 campaigns.

The five-year Ohio State Buckeye could’ve declared for the NFL Draft in 2020 but elected to return for a fifth year to finish his degree in human development and family sciences.

A person can learn a lot from Munford. That being the case, I was curious what Wypler had learned from his ex-schoolmate – so, I asked him.

“For me, Thayer led by example,” Wypler told me. “One of the biggest things I took from him, he wouldn’t tell you to do something he wouldn’t do,” he explained.