Ohio State leads the way with four first-round draft picks

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the 2025 NFL Draft with the most players selected in the first round all-time, with 91 (USC was second with 86). Ohio State extended that margin with four first-round picks this year, the most of any school.

It was always going to be an interesting draft season for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has 17 draft-eligible players, and most mock drafts and draft experts have a consensus of 15 Buckeyes being selected overall. That would tie the all-time record for most picks in a single draft, as Georgia had 15 drafted in 2022.

At the same time, however, most experts weren’t too high on Ohio State’s top-end talent. The Buckeyes had no guaranteed consensus first-rounders, with the most likely top pick (offensive lineman Josh Simmons) hampered by injury concerns.

On Thursday night, NFL teams showed they have more faith in Ohio State and its players than the draft experts do. Emeka Egbuka went first, with a higher-than-expected slot of No. 19. Then–again, as experts were unsure if any more Buckeyes would be selected in the first round–Ohio State names were called quickly. Donovan Jackson and Tyleik Williams went 24th and 28th. This left the Buckeyes tied with Texas, Michigan, and Georgia with three picks in the first round each.

Patrick Mahomes gave a sneak peak on X (formerly Twitter), tweeting out a smiling emoji a few minutes before the pick was announced. He seemed to know that his team picked up some good protection for him, as the Kansas City Chiefs took Simmons with the final pick of the round.

Even on a day when their top-end talent was somewhat overlooked, the Buckeyes showed why they were the best team in the country last year. Up next? Trying to tie the record of 15 draft picks–and maybe even break it.

Oh, and I’ll leave you all with one incredible stat to sum up both this night and Ryan Day’s career so far: