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COLUMBUS — Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston looked to be a shoo-in to go in the first round of the NFL draft after registering a school-record 14 sacks last season, and he turned himself into a possible top-five pick after dazzling scouts with individual workouts.

But despite being clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.58 seconds, bench-pressing 225 pounds a whopping 37 times and getting measured in the vertical jump at an NBA-like 42 inches, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound Gholston still has his detractors.

"He's kind of a love-hate player," draft expert Jerry Jones said. "There are people who are saying he's not big enough to be an end. He's not whatever to be a linebacker. What are we going to do with this guy? It's the 'Tweener' tag that not many teams are hot on. Too many of them have been burned by that.

"But he's done virtually everything he's been asked to do. He put up amazing numbers at the workouts, and he backed that up on the field beforehand."

Jones, who has published the Drugstore List of draft projections for 31 years, sees Gholston going between the fifth and eighth pick.

"At the very least, they know they've got a guy who can slug in and go kill the quarterback," he said.

Gholston, who will be in New York for the draft today, April 26, will be disappointed if he falls out of the top five.

"When I look at the draft, it's sort of a competition between the best of the best. Of course, you want to go as high as you can and be No. 1," he said. "But at the end of the day, I feel that the team that selects me is the team that wanted me most. And just like here at Ohio State, I'll take pride in wherever I go and just be thankful they wanted me and make the most of the situation."

C

ontact this reporter at (937) 225-2125

or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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