Ohio State matchup could boost NFL draft stock for these 4 Gophers

Julian Sayin has completed 78.8% of his passes for Ohio State, making him one of the country's most-talked-about quarterbacks. He's certainly good, but Lindsey might wind up being the better pro prospect by the time his college career is over.

Lindsey's 90.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade ranks second among all college quarterbacks with at least 100 drop-backs. His performance against Rutgers, where he completed 75.6% of his passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns, was one of the best from a Gophers quarterback in a long time.

Lindsey isn't eligible for the draft for a couple of years, but this is a huge opportunity to put his name on the national map.

Darius Taylor

Taylor has missed the last 11 quarters (two-plus games) with a strained hamstring, and his status for Saturday's game won't be known until two hours before kickoff. If he does play, he'll have an opportunity to showcase his skills as a runner and receiver against the No. 1 defense in the nation. The Buckeyes are allowing 2.9 yards per rush, but that may be a bit misleading.

In Week 1, Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner averaged 5.0 yards per carry, toting the ball 16 times for 80 yards before suffering a hamstring injury late in the game. And last week, Washington's Jonah Coleman had 13 carries for 70 yards (5.4 per carry). The end-game stats showed Washington with 30 carries for 60 yards, but that's largely due to quarterback Demond Williams finishing with -28 yards on the ground.

Anthony Smith

Smith, who has a chance to hear his name called on the first two days of the draft next year, is tied for the Big Ten lead with five sacks, and his six tackles for loss rank fourth in the conference. He had one sack against Buffalo, one against Northwestern State, one against California, and two more while generating seven total pressures against Rutgers.

According to PFF, Smith has lined up on the left edge and right edge 58 and 61 times, respectively, through four games. That means the Gophers will have him going against former Minnesota right tackle Phillip Daniels and Buckeyes left tackle Austin Siereveld, who have allowed a total of three combined pressures this season.

Dating back to last season, Smith has at least one sack in nine of his last 10 games.

Koi Perich

After the worst game of his young career in Week 3 at Cal, Perich bounced back last week against Rutgers. He produced five tackles and a big sack while allowing only one reception in his coverage. He also had a 56-yard kick return. The Rutgers game was his first without any offensive snaps, so it remains to be seen whether the Gophers will have him focus on defense and return duties or get him back into the offensive fold. He had seven offensive snaps in Week 1, but then just four and three snaps, respectively, the next two weeks.

Perich will have his work cut out for him against a Buckeyes offense that boasts an elite wide receiver duo in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate Jr. If he jumps a route or comes up with big plays without getting roasted by guys who will be playing in the NFL, he'll only boost his already impressive draft profile.

Perich will be eligible for the draft in 2027.

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