Jashon
Cornell.
Jashon
Cornell.
Ohio St.
"Detroit drafted Ohio State's late-blooming end-tackle hybrid at No. 235, but a rookie-year injury and a 2021 suspension limited him to a single NFL game with the Lions."Pre-draft read
Cornell was a defensive lineman in Ohio State's four-man front, a 6-3, roughly 285-pounder who alternated between end and tackle and looked most comfortable inside as a senior. His primary trait was power: he played with heavy hands and a strong base, holding the point against the run and collapsing the pocket with a bull rush rather than speed.
His secondary trait was versatility, giving coaches a player who could line up as a strong-side end on early downs and slide inside on passing downs. His athletic ceiling was modest, and his signature was the steady, physical play of a former top in-state recruit who finally broke through in his final season.
Four-man front that lets a powerful, versatile lineman play strong-side end on early downs and kick inside on passing downs.
Year 1: reserve lineman and practice squad developmental player. Ceiling: rotational end-tackle hybrid.
Wide-nine, speed-based front that asks its ends to win around the edge with burst and bend.
His power and versatility suited a rotational, multi-position role.
Jashon Cornell Highlights | Detroit Lions 2020 NFL Draft
Lions draft-night reel of his Ohio State tape.
Jashon Cornell | 2019 Ohio State highlights
His breakout 2019 season as a full-time starter.
Jashon Cornell Fumble Recovery vs. Maryland
A takeaway against Maryland.
Cornell projected as a versatile, power-based lineman whose late emergence and lack of burst made him a final-round flier. Evaluators liked his strength, his experience against elite competition and his ability to play end or tackle, but saw a limited pass rusher who produced only once he became a starter.
A former top-ranked recruit from Minnesota, he redshirted in 2015 and spent three years as a rotational player, battling a groin injury along the way. He made his first career start in 2018 against his hometown Minnesota, then started all 14 games in 2019, posting career highs of 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks and earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. The flags were one season of starter production, average athleticism and no natural position.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round or priority free agent lineman. Detroit took him at No. 235 as rotational depth who could play multiple spots along the line, valuing his power and his experience in one of college football's deepest defensive line rooms.
- 01
Power at the point
Played with heavy hands and a strong base, holding up against double teams and anchoring against the run.
- 02
Positional versatility
Alternated between end and tackle at Ohio State, giving coaches a lineman who could fit several alignments.
- 03
Senior breakout
Started all 14 games in 2019 with career highs of 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
- 04
Elite competition
Spent five years in Ohio State's deep defensive line rotation, practicing and playing against NFL-caliber talent.
- 05
Bull rush
Collapsed the pocket by driving blockers backward, giving him a reliable pass-rush tool on the interior.
- 01
Limited burst
Lacked the first-step quickness to beat blockers cleanly, which capped his value as a pass rusher at the next level.
- 02
Thin résumé
Started only in 2019, with just 14 career starts, giving evaluators little evidence of sustained production.
- 03
No natural position
Was a bit small for tackle and not quick enough for end, leaving questions about where he fit in an NFL front.
- 04
Injury history
Missed time early in his career with a groin injury, slowing his development in Ohio State's rotation.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ohio State | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Ohio State | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Ohio State | 13 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | Ohio State | 14 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | — | 40 | 62 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
2018 and 2019 lines (tackles, TFL, sacks in 2019) from Wikipedia and the Lions; 2016, 2017 and 2018 sacks from CFBTrack, including bowls. The seven career sacks match StatMuse. The Lions list 46 career games, and sources disagree on his early game counts, so game totals are approximate.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a reserve lineman who played one NFL game.
Ohio State end-tackle hybrid who carved out a long rotational career.
Ohio State interior reserve who bounced between practice squads.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Cornell signed with Detroit but was placed on injured reserve in August 2020 and missed his rookie season. In June 2021 he was suspended three games for violating the league's substance abuse policy, and he spent most of that year off the active roster. He remained with the Lions into 2022 but appeared in only one NFL game before his pro career ended.
In hindsight the pick produced almost no on-field value. The limited burst and thin résumé evaluators flagged were real concerns, but injuries and the suspension ended his chances before his power and versatility could be tested in a rotation. He never got the extended look, with preseason snaps and a full season on the practice squad, that seventh-round linemen usually need to prove themselves. His career shows how quickly a late pick's window can close when availability becomes the issue, since a reserve lineman has to be on the field to earn a role, and Cornell rarely was.