Entering his seventh season with the Cleveland Browns, cornerback Denzel Ward is a veteran presence inside the team’s locker room.
Ward – who played in college at Ohio State – never left Ohio to start his professional career thanks to the Browns drafting him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Another first-time teammate for Ward will be in the same shoes as the cornerback was in six years ago, being the highest-drafted player for the team from the same flagship university.
Browns insider Noah Weiskopf shared on Twitter a video of Ward talking about his excitement the team selected that fellow Ohio State alum Michael Hall Jr. during the recent draft.
“I think he’s going to be a great player,” Ward said of Hall.
Denzel Ward had a similar path to the NFL as #Browns rookie DT Michael Hall Jr with growing up in Cleveland, attending Ohio State and being drafted by the Browns. Ward said he was telling coaches they needed another Buckeye on the roster ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft and his hopes… pic.twitter.com/0mzDB98W5I
— Noah Weiskopf (@BrownsWithNoah) May 23, 2024
Ward – a native of Ohio – keeps up with alma mater, and the player said he had told the coaches to pay attention to Buckeyes available in the draft.
The cornerback has several teammates on the roster already from Ohio State, including safety Ronnie Hickman and offensive linemen Luke Wypler and Dawand Jones.
Currently, 64 players with ties to the Ohio State Buckeyes football program are in the NFL to show the program’s overall strength at the next level.
Hall joins the Browns after being selected as the No. 54 overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The defensive tackle played in 28 games while at Ohio State, starting 12 contests.
Ward has played in 79 NFL games in six years, collecting 273 tackles and 15 interceptions since 2018.
The cornerback is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, earning that distinction in 2018, 2021, and 2023.
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