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Vo. 1, No. 33
The 2026 NFL Draft has begun, and Ohio State football already had a huge impact.
As expected, Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs all heard their names called on the first night of the draft.
The Tennessee Titans had all of the premium defensive prospects on the board except Texas Tech DE David Bailey (who was the No. 2 pick to the Jets), but they opted to enhance their receiving corps with Tate, the first Buckeye the franchise has taken in the first round since moving to Tennessee from Houston 30 years ago.
One pick later, the New York Giants took Reese, another move that counted as a surprise since most people expected Reese to be taken second or third overall.
The Washington Commanders chose Styles with the No. 7 pick, which was always in the realm of possibility because Styles was hard to peg to one team or another given the lack of value most teams attach to inside linebackers.
That issue — positional value — likely also played a role in Caleb Downs not hearing his name until No. 11. The Dallas Cowboys obviously valued him, though, as they traded up one spot with Miami to make sure they stopped his drop before anyone else.
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Usually I take issue with the idea a player’s stock drops because what media scouts think does’t necessary have anything to do with what the real NFL front offices see in a player, but Downs is an interesting case.
He checks all the boxes as far as a player on and off the field, except he is a safety who does not seem to have any outstanding physical traits.
That confused mock drafters and pick projectors because predicting which teams would follow conventional wisdom is tough when a player is unique like he is.
Then again, maybe a lot of teams are just dumb because the playmaking and intangibles are off the charts with this guy, who went so far as to have a Players Tribune piece published in his name calling him the safest pick in the draft.
If/when Downs goes on to be a star in the league, Bengals fans will always wonder what might have been since they traded the No. 10 pick to the Giants for DT Dexter Lawrence (a move I fully supported… unless Downs was available. I would rather have Downs, but I did not think he would be there).
Then again, the Cleveland Browns and the Giants both passed on Downs at two different spots in the draft.
Here are some more Ohio State notes from the first round of the NFL Draft:
Ohio State extended its national lead in most first round picks
With four more Thursday night, Ohio State has 86 first-rounders since the beginning of the common era in 1967.
That is No. 1 among all colleges, nine more than No. 2 Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have 77 all time while USC has 76.
The next Big Ten team on the list is Michigan with 47 (one less than Notre Dame FWIW).
Overall, Ohio State has had 99 players taken in the first round. The first was Springfield High School graduate Jim McDonald, who was the No. 2 pick (Detroit Lions) in 1938.
Ohio State has had a receiver drafted in the first round five years in a row
Six Ohio State receivers have been takin in the first round since Ryan Day became head coach in 2019.
In 2022, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were both taken in the first round, ending a 14-year drought.
In the common era (since 1967), Ohio State has had 13 receivers taken in the first round.
Reese ended a nine-year drought for first-round linebackers from Ohio State when he was chosen by the Giants at No. 5.
Styles went two picks later to the Washington Commanders, marking the second time Ohio State had two linebackers taken in the first round.
The other was 2006 when the Packers chose A.J. Hawk No. 5 and Bobby Carpenter went to the Cowboys at 18.
Overall, Ohio State has had 13 first-round linebackers, including 12 in the common era. The last was Damon Lee in 2016.
Looking for more to read? Here’s another newsletter you might like:
Which NFL teams have picked the most Buckeyes in the first round?
As far as most Ohio State players chosen by one team in the first round, the Bears, Colts, Jets and Saints are tied at the top. They have all taken six Buckeyes in the first round.
The Lions and Raiders both have taken five while the Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Giants, 49ers, Rams and Steelers all have four.
The Bengals, Cowboys and Commanders/Redskins are among a handful of teams who have selected three.
What about most players by position?
Historically your best chance to be drafted coming out of Ohio State is to play defensive back,
However, Downs was the first Ohio State defensive back drafted in the first round since Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette in 2020, and those guys being picked that year gave the Buckeyes nine first-round DBs in seven years from 2014-2020.
Downs is the 21st first-round pick who played in the secondary for the Buckeyes. That is seven more than the next positions on the list — 14 offensive tackles, 14 running backs and 14 receivers.
Every position has had a first rounder since 2020 except center (Billy Price, 2018), running back (Ezekiel Elliott, 2016) and tight end (Rickey Dudley, 1996).
What Ohio State coach has produced the most first round picks?
Ryan Day broke a tie with Jim Tressel for third-most first-rounders coached at Ohio State (excluding guys who transferred out). Day now has 18, which is tied with John Cooper for the second-most. The leader? That would be one Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes, who coached 27 first-round picks.
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Who is next?
Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network ranks Kayden McDonald as the eighth-best player still available heading into round two.
He is the top interior defensive lineman and likely will make some team very happy because of his selfless play and delightful personality.
Prior to the draft, Jeremiah ranked tight end Max Klare No. 81 overall followed by Lorenzo Styles Jr (119) and Will Kacmarekt (142) while others likely to hear their names this weekend are Davison Igbinosun and Caden Curry.
The Bengals are out of the running for interior DL help, but I could see a fit with all of the above otherwise.
They certainly need need another DB or two (though outside corner is a higher priority) and Klare seems like the kind of catch-first TE they like. Curry might not have the measurables, but taking a flyer on a versatile edge rusher later in the draft is rarely a bad idea.
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BONUS CONTENT!
Early in the week, I had a chance to talk Ohio State and more with old pal Sam Bourquin in Northeast Ohio.
Check it out!
Aside from sharing my thoughts on the premium message board at BuckeyeSports.com, I’m also writing for PressProsMagazine.com and MensJournal.com.
For Press Pros, I took a look at what to take away from the Spring Game:
For Men’s Journal, I recapped Tom Brady’s message for Fernando Mendoza before the Raiders chose the Indiana quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick.
Also if you happened to see Tate’s “chill chain” at the draft Thursday night, you can actually register to win it!
