The Ohio State football team will be well-represented during the 2026 NFL Draft. After starting the season 12-0, several players had scouts all across the league salivating. In fact, the Buckeyes looked like they were going to be the best team in the country.
Unfortunately, losses to Indiana and Miami in the final two games kept that from happening. Still, the Buckeyes had a lot of talent on the 2025 team. Now, that talent is getting rewarded. No school will have more prospects at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh at the end of the month.
Five Ohio State Buckeyes will be attending the draft. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Carnell Tate, Kayden McDonald, and Caleb Downs will all be in Pittsburgh. That means that all of them are expecting to be first-round picks, including McDonald. McDonald is the player who is most on the fringe of that happening.
Five Ohio State football players will attend 2026 NFL Draft
Multiple draft gurus believe that Reese is the best overall player in the draft. He likely won't be the number one pick, as that honor is almost certainly going to Fernando Mendoza. Downs and Styles could each go in the top five based on their seasons.
Tate might not fall out of the top 10. In general, it would be very shocking if any of the five guys attending the draft end up not being selected in the first round. It would be shocking if there were an awkward green room moment with any of the Buckeyes.
This is another recruiting tool that Ryan Day can use to help build his roster for the next few years. He can show that coming to Ohio State can put you in the league. That helps when NIL money is even, as NIL money has clearly become the most important thing to almost every recruit.
Still, this is a nice tiebreaker at their disposal when things are close. It should be a great night for these Buckeyes. The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is on April 23 on ABC and ESPN.