money Ohio State football's Thayer Munford selected by Las Vegas Raiders in seventh round
Former Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.
Munford provides the Raiders, which took him with the No. 238 overall pick, with some positional versatility.
After three seasons starting at left tackle, he moved to the interior last fall after the Buckeyes reconfigured their line, starting at left guard. Between both positions, Munford saw 45 career starts.
When he spoke with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in March, Munford said teams had told him that he could be used at either spot.
“Everybody can see that can play both tackle and guard,” Munford said. “Wherever they put me at, I'll just play it like I did at Ohio State.”
Ohio State football: Thayer Munford has no regrets as NFL looms
Munford was a reliable blocker throughout his career and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in each of the past two seasons.
His leadership was also a valuable trait for the Buckeyes, who named him one of seven team captains last season and made him the program’s only second recipient of the Block “O” jersey, a number worn in recognition of former Ohio State legend Bill Willis.
Munford could have entered the draft last season, but he used the additional season of eligibility given to all players a result of the coronavirus pandemic to remain in school.
He said he wanted to finish earning his degree in sport industry and become the first person in his family to graduate from college, a feat he achieved last August.
Munford was the Buckeyes' sixth player to be picked in this year's draft and the second on the final day after defensive end Tyreke Smith went in the fifth round.
His slip into the final round was a minor surprise as most mock drafts had forecasted Munford as a mid-round pick.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Thayer Munford drafted by Las Vegas Raiders in seventh round
