The Oakland Raiders selected Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Ohio State Overview: Conley was named second-team all-Big Ten by league's coaches in 2016 … played in 42 games for the Buckeyes and started 27 games at cornerback … team captain who ranked second on squad in 2016 with four interceptions and had six for his career … also had eight pass break-ups in 2016 and 15 for his career … named honorable mention all-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2015 … totaled 91 career tackles and had one season of eligibility remaining.
2016 Season (Junior): All-Big Ten second team pick by the coaches and a third team selection by the media ... third on the team with three INTs ... made the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter in the win at Michigan State ... recorded two tackles and one PBU in the 77-10 win over Bowling Green ... three tackles and one INT in the win over Tulsa ... recorded two PBUs in the win over Indiana ... three tackles and an INT in the win at Wisconsin… made six tackles and recorded one interception in the Fiesta Bowl.
2015 Season (Sophomore): Conley started all 13 games at cornerback and earned honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference honors … he finished eighth on the team with 49 tackles and second with two interceptions … he also recorded five pass break-ups and blocked a punt vs. Rutgers … stood out in Ohio State's biggest games, with a career-high (and team-best) eight tackles vs. Virginia Tech, seven vs. Penn State, five solo tackles vs. Michigan and a career-high (and team-best) seven solo stops against Notre Dame … recorded his first career interception vs. Hawai'i and also had two PBUs that game … also had an interception in the Rutgers game.
2014 Season (Freshman): Conley played in all 15 games for the 2014 College Football Playoff national champions ... accumulated 386 plays, including 160 snaps on defense as a cornerback ... contributed significantly on special teams ... finished the year with 16 tackles and two pass break-ups ... had personal bests of three solo tackles in the wins over Illinois and Michigan State.
More on Gareon: Conley was the No. 1 player in Ohio as a senior (ESPN 150) and a first-team Associated Press Division I all-state selection … also earned consensus four-star status (ESPN, Scout, 247Sports, Rivals) … the No. 43 overall prospect nationally by ESPN and the No. 14 cornerback prospect (247Sports) … played in the Under Armour All-American game … as a senior Conley, who was coached by Jason Hall at Washington, caught 50 passes, averaged 21.9 yards per catch and scored 16 touchdowns, while on defense he had 13 pass break-ups, an interception and 25 tackles … Washington was 11-2 during Conley's senior season and advanced to the regional finals … recorded four interceptions and 30 tackles as a junior … Washington is also the alma mater of Buckeye receiving great Devin Smith … Gareon is the son of Sherry Robinson and Jameel & Angel Conley.
