Ohio State’s Trey Sermon selected 88th by 49ers

CLEVELAND — Trey Sermon’s first four Ohio State football games left many wondering if the running back really had pro potential.

His final two performances left some wondering if he might be as good as any back in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The San Francisco 49ers added Sermon to their offensive makeover, selecting him with the 88th overall pick in Friday’s third round.

Sermon came to OSU as a grad transfer from Oklahoma in part to rejuvenate his prospect status. He rushed for over 2,000 yards in three seasons with the Sooners, showing inconsistent big-play potential. Yet by the end of that run he encountered injury issues and had fallen down the depth chart.

His arrival at Ohio State coincided with Master Teague’s Achilles injury last spring. Yet Teague recovered for the delayed start of the season, and he earned the lead back role with his comparative play to Sermon.

Will Sermon pick up in the NFL where he left off for Ohio State?

Not until Teague suffered a concussion on the opening drive of the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern did Sermon finally break out — and then some. He rushed for a program-record 331 yards that night, breaking off multiple big gains with cut-backs and elusiveness he had not previously displayed.

Sermon backed that up with 193 yards against Clemson to help OSU reach the national championship. A shoulder injury on the first play of that game ended his night, but did not prevent him from participating at OSU’s pro day.

Teams were left to assess which version of Sermon would show up in the NFL. He struggled to find holes early in the season and reverted too often to a stand-up style of running. Yet in those Northwestern and Clemson victories, he was undeniably electric, powerful and relentless.

Those games included more check-down receiving opportunities, but Ohio State did not establish him as a true threat in the passing game. His value as a receiver has always been more theoretical than proven.

That’s one more question he can answer at the next level.