DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels doesn't want to tell NFL scouts how to do their jobs, but he's miffed that Troy Smith is being picked apart like Donald Trump ripping into Rosie O'Donnell.

Smith's stock took a nose-dive after his national championship game horror show. But Daniels, who groomed Dan Marino for the pros at the University of Pittsburgh and spent seven years in the league as an assistant with three teams, believes the NFL will be making a mistake if it judges the Heisman Trophy winner on one outing.

"I talk to scouts when they start that (negativity), and the thing I say is, 'You've got two years of games to watch. Yeah, you can watch the Florida game, and please do. Examine it all you can. But you have 20-some other games to watch,' " Daniels said.

"If that scout is on his game, if every person he picks is right on, if everyone he pounded his fist on the desk about drafting is All-Pro, then I'll listen to him. But I don't know of anybody like that."

The 6-foot, 225-pound Smith finished the BCS Championship Game 4-of-14 passing for a scant 35 yards with one interception. And while scouts had begun warming to him because of his history of transcendent showings in big games, his size became an issue again after that fiasco against Florida.

But the Buckeyes' offensive line was so overmatched against the Gators that Smith spent most of the game being chased like a mechanical rabbit at a greyhound track. And Daniels believes height is overrated, pointing out that the Buckeyes' current quarterbacks are all 6-2 to 6-6, and "we've had more passes knocked down from these guys (in spring practice) than we did from Troy all last year."

Jerry Jones, who has published his Drugstore List of draft ratings for 30 years, also believes too much is being made of Smith's stature.

"He doesn't have a field-vision problem, which is what you'd expect with somebody that's shorter," Jones said.

But even Jones expects Smith to go no earlier than the third round.

The one seemingly sure first-rounder among the Buckeyes is receiver-returner Ted Ginn Jr., who had eight special-teams touchdowns in three years. Teammate Anthony Gonzalez is considered a second-round pick.

"Gonzalez is by far the more polished receiver," Jones said. "Ginn does not appear to like to go over the middle, while Gonzalez couldn't care less. At the same time, Ginn can outrun almost any cornerback in the open field. He'll go high because he has absolute immediate value as a return man."

Running back Antonio Pittman, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, is considered the third-best running back in the draft after Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and California's Marshawn Lynch and could creep into the first round.

"Pittman is kind of a fooler," Jones said. "He's not real big (5-11, 207), but he's tough. ... He's a good inside runner, and he's doing it with vision and moves."

The Buckeyes should have plenty of players going in rounds four through seven, including perhaps a backup receiver.

The 6-2, 229-pound Roy Hall, who had just 13 catches last season, startled scouts at OSU's pro day by running the 40 in 4.41.

"People are interested in Roy Hall," Jones said. "He doesn't have real high ratings, but the size-speed combination is unbelievable."

Buckeyes in the draft

Player —————- Pos — Projection

Ted Ginn Jr. ——— WR —- Mid-first round

Antonio Pittman —- RB —- Mid-second

Anthony Gonzalez — WR —- Late second

Quinn Pitcock ——- DT —- Late third

Troy Smith ———— QB —- Late third

Doug Datish ———— C —- Early fifth

David Patterson —- DT —- Late seventh

T.J. Downing ———- G —- Free agent

Roy Hall ————— WR —- Free agent

Brandon Mitchell —- S —- Free agent

Jay Richardson —— DE —- Free agent

Antonio Smith ——- CB —- Free agent

Note: Projections by analyst Jerry Jones, who has published the Drugstore List of NFL draft ratings for 30 years.