NFL draft will be loaded with Ohio State football players, but not at the very top
Perhaps the best way to view Ohio State’s players in this year’s NFL draft is to consider it a marathon instead of a sprint.
If you’re looking for Buckeyes to be taken early in the first round April 24, you’re likely to be disappointed. In the consensus of mock drafts, no OSU player is considered likely to be taken in the first half of the round.
But patience will be rewarded. The run of Ohio State players will likely begin late in the first round, and the second and third rounds on April 25 should feature a flood of Buckeyes. By the time the seventh round concludes April 26, 15 Ohio State players are expected to be taken.
That would be a record for Ohio State and the second-most ever for an NFL draft behind Georgia’s 16 players selected in 2022. The Buckeyes had 14 players taken in 2004 and 12 in 2016.
Who’s likely to be the first Ohio State player taken?
The order in which the Buckeyes will be taken is far from certain. The OSU player deemed likely to be selected first wasn’t even with the team when it made its march to the national title. Left tackle Josh Simmons’s season ended when he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee against Oregon on Oct. 12. He left OSU after the injury to begin his rehab.
Simmons played so well early in 2024 and his potential at a premium position has apparently outweighed concerns about his knee. If he hadn’t been injured, Simmons would have been considered a candidate to be a top-10 pick. Now he’s projected to be a mid- to late-first-rounder, though he’s not a lock to go in that round.
Who else are first-round possibilities?
Several Buckeyes could go late in the first round, though none are sure things. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is regarded as one of the safer picks in the draft. OSU’s all-time receptions leader doesn’t have one dazzling attribute but is a well-rounded player with no significant weaknesses.
