After a longer-than-expected wait, Ohio State center Luke Wypler was drafted Saturday by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

Wypler was the 190th overall selection. He had been projected as a mid-round pick. He will be reunited with right tackle Dawand Jones, another Buckeye who slipped further than expected. Jones was Cleveland's fourth-round pick.

The New Jersey native was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes. He was expected to be a backup in 2021, but he was thrust into the lineup when Harry Miller was injured before the season opener at Minnesota. Miller would later step away from football for mental-health reasons.

Wypler proved up to the job. He anchored a line that was the foundation of one of college football’s top offenses the last two seasons. He was honorable mention All-Big Ten last year in a conference that was loaded with quality centers.

Wypler ranked third among all centers nationally in the Pro Football Focus blocking rankings last season with a grade of 82.5. He was charged with allowing only one sack and seven hurries in 449 passing snaps.

Wypler’s intelligence, feistiness and athleticism are his calling cards.

“He’s super smart, the smartest O-lineman I’ve ever met in my life,” said OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was taken Thursday with the second pick of the draft, at last year's Big Ten media days.

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His strong performance helping neutralize Georgia and its star defensive tackle Jalen Carter in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff semifinal loss in the Peach Bowl made him believe he was ready for the NFL. He had two years of eligibility remaining.

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“This game is all about competition,” Wypler said at the NFL combine, “and when you play some of the best defensive linemen in the country and we held our own and excelled, that definitely factored into my decision.”

Wypler played tackle at St. Joseph Regional High School but was projected to be a center in college. Though he was strictly a center in college, Wypler said he has the versatility to play guard in the NFL.

“Teams have asked me that, and I think it’s actually going to be easier (than center),” Wypler said. “You don’t have to worry about snapping the ball and making calls. You’ve just got to put your hand in the ground and go maul somebody.

“I’m excited to see wherever I get drafted and whatever a team wants to do with me. I’ll play any position. If they want me to play kicker, quarterback, I’m there.”

But center is where Wypler’s heart is.

“I love playing center,” he said. “For me, that’s where I thrive with my football intelligence and being able to kind of run the helm and coordinate everything in the pass and run game.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State center Luke Wypler taken by Cleveland in sixth round