Ohio State Football: NFL Draft is OSU’s yearly health exam

The NFL Draft is set to begin Thursday, April 27 live from Kansas City, and there will once again be former Buckeyes whose dreams will come true. Headlining the Ohio State football program’s 2023 NFL Draft class is quarterback C.J. Stroud. Expecting to join Stroud in the first round in hearing their names called are offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Ohio State has had more former players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft than any other school. If the previously mentioned Buckeyes are all drafted in the first round, and there is no reason to think they won’t, then Ohio State will become the first school in history to have 90 former players go in the first round.

The next closest school is USC, which currently sits at 84. Alabama is in third at 76 on that list. For those who are keeping track for bragging rights, and we all are, That Team Up North sits seventh with 50 first-round draft picks.

Most of the more famous mock drafts have anywhere from 7 to 11 Buckeyes total being drafted during the 7 rounds of the NFL Draft. As for the total draft picks selected by school, Ohio State comes in third on that list with 480, comfortably ahead of Oklahoma which sits at fourth on that list at 409. Second is USC at 519, and first all-time is Notre Dame who has had 522 former Irish players drafted. Again, for those keeping track, That Team Up North is in fifth at 392.

But what about more recently? Since the turn of the century, Ohio State has had the most former players drafted at 157. Alabama is in second with 144, and LSU is in third with 143. TTUN you ask? They are in tenth with 106. And as for first-rounders during that same time period, only the Crimson Tide can boast more first-round draft picks than the Buckeyes with their 39 to Ohio State’s 34. Ohio State has doubled up the Maize and Blue who come in at 17 first-rounders since the year 2000.

There is a clear connection between programs that are successful in recruiting, on the field, and developing NFL talent. It’s not an exact science, but the correlations are inarguable. A high number of players drafted does indicate a program’s ability to develop talent. It will inevitably also serve as another tool while on the recruiting path for coaches. And so, the cycle continues for the Ohio State football program. Recruit well – develop well – get drafted – and repeat.

So, sit back on Thursday and Friday night and enjoy the fruits of your labor Buckeye Nation. The Draft process is further proof that the overall health of the Ohio State Football program is still good. It’s like going for a yearly exam and getting a clean bill of health.

Everything checks out well when you will see Stroud, Johnson, and Smith-Njigba walk across that stage in Kansas City, shake Roger Goodell’s hand, put on a team hat, and smile for the camera.