By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

After scintillating Ohio State fans with his game changing speed and ankle-breaking shiftiness on Saturday afternoon, Ted Ginn Jr. made a habit of spending his Sundays sitting back and watching another player do the same thing at football’s highest level.

It became a ritual for Ginn to spend his Sundays kicking back and watching the Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester take the NFL by storm with Hester’s record-breaking knack for returning kicks and punts for touchdowns. By the time Hester was done, he had done it six times, an NFL record.

And watching Hester make a name for himself only made Ginn giddy with the thought that he could do likewise in the league.

“If he can do it, I believe I can do it,” Ginn said. “Not to be cocky, but we do have the same abilities and the same type of speed. I believe if he can go out and do it, I can do it.”

There’s no doubting that Ginn does indeed have the moves and speed to be every bit the returner that Hester has become. Ginn will get his first chance to do just that next season after declaring for the NFL Draft following his junior season with the Buckeyes.

It was at Ohio State where Ginn made his name as perhaps the fastest player in college football and as coach Jim Tressel once said “the fastest player playing football…at any level.” 

As a true freshman in 2004, Ginn played in 12 games, finishing with 25 catches for 359 yards and two touchdowns. His role increased in 2005 when he grabbed 51 passes for 803 yards and four touchdowns. While those numbers didn’t necessarily stand out, it was then that the Buckeyes discovered the best way to use Ginn was to find any way to get the ball in his hands.

In his first two seasons, Ginn racked up three rushing touchdowns and had 40 punt returns for 634 yards with five touchdowns and 20 kick returns for 572 yards and another score.

By the time Ginn entered his junior season last year, the entire college football world knew him as one of the game’s most explosive weapons.

While Ginn never fully became the receiving threat many hoped he would (he finished with 59 catches for 781 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior), he continued to be one of the most feared returners in the game. Ginn added 706 yards and two touchdowns on 42 punt/kickoff returns.

If nothing else, Ginn knows how to make an entrance. In helping the undefeated Buckeyes to the National Championship game against Florida, Ginn opened the game with his own personal fireworks show.

Ginn took the opening kickoff, darted toward the sideline and outran the Gators 93 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. In that moment, a moment that should have been a highlight for Ginn, everything suddenly went wrong.

While celebrating the score with his teammates, one player grabbed hold of Ginn and accidentally pulled him toward the ground. The result was a severely sprained foot that caused Ginn to miss the rest of the game and pretty much all of the pre-draft workout process.

“It was just a show of the team and I got grabbed,” Ginn said. “I usually hand the ball to the official. We were just so excited, me and my team that it just shows you have to keep your cool and stay calm and do the things you do all the time.”

Despite the injury, Ginn declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft. He was unable to workout until last week, when he was finally recovered enough to run and do drills in a private workout for NFL teams.

Estimating that he was at about 75 to 80 percent health, Ginn still turned in a 40-yard dash time around 4.4 seconds. It was far from the 4.2 he believes he can run, but it was still impressive for the numerous scouts and coaches in attendance.

But for as impressive as Ginn’s speed is, there are still questions about his ability to play receiver in the NFL. Most scouts and draft pundits believe Ginn must work on his route running and add some size to his frame to be more than a slot receiver in the NFL.

Ginn, for one, has designs on being much more than just a returner.

“I would like to go somewhere where I can be a receiver and punt return and kick return,” Ginn said. “That’s just my dream. That’s what I have worked for. I didn’t work just to be a punt returner or kick returner.”

Without question, Ginn will immediately be handed punt and kick return duty from day one no matter where he lands. It will probably take a bit longer for him to get ample playing time as a receiver, but if he has the type of success as Hester with the ball in his hands, whichever team drafts him will do what it takes to get him the ball.

For now, Ginn is projected to go anywhere from the bottom part of the top 10 to the low 20s. The Rams have certainly taken interest in Ginn and could consider him at No. 13 (though they have more pressing needs on defense and Ginn would be a luxury).

Teams such as Minnesota, Miami, Atlanta, Tennessee and Kansas City could certainly be in the mix for his services, as well.

Regardless of when it happens, the fact that Ginn will land somewhere in the first round is a bit of a revelation in terms of how much value teams are beginning to place on returners. And for that, Ginn can thank one Devin Hester.

“I’m a fan of his,” Ginn said. “I saw him in college and I think it helps me out a lot the things that he does as far as punt returns and kick returns. Me being in that field, it helps me out a lot.”