Buckeyes will define the first round of the NFL Draft

Buckeyes will define the first round of the NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Almost every draft over the course of history has a player or players that defines the rest of the draft. In 2025 it was Cam Ward and Travis Hunter. 2024 it was Caleb Williams. It's not always a quarterback though.

In 2022 it was Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson. In 2018 there were five names. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkely, Bradley Chubb and Quenton Nelson. In 2026 we could see four names. All from the same program.

The NFL Draft is exactly two weeks away. Draft analysts are compiling mock drafts and big boards. Considering Dane Brugler, Mel Kiper Jr and Todd McShay, there is one consensus thought across the board. Ohio State could see four players taken in the top 10. Not just four players in the first round, that wouldn't even be rare, but four in the top ten would be.

The 2026 NFL Draft will be different than most drafts. The consensus among draft analysts and even league insiders willing to say it publicly, is that this is not a typical draft. It's certainly not a quarterback draft. Everyone expects to hear Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to be the first name called, after that every team yet to pick will be on Buckeye Watch.

Ohio State players will dictate how the first round goes

Typically, the top quarterback ends up being who defines the draft. Mendoza, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, all set the pace. What's different this year as compared to previous years, is once that defining name comes off the board, the usual positions and player types follow in line. Those are not the positions we'll see go off early in 2026.

There is no Calvin Johnson, no Joe Thomas, no Patrick Peterson in this draft. Positions that teams gravitate towards when the prized quarterback comes off the board. Enter the 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes of this draft.

What will follow Mendoza is not going to be a run on wide receivers, even though the top receiver is a Buckeye. There will not be a run on offensive tackles in the top 15 like fans are accustomed to seeing because there is not bust proof tackles in this draft. There are no top 10 guards.

The top projected offensive tackle is predominantly a right tackle. There is one elite RB that could and should crack the top 10. The top two hand in the dirt EDGE rushers are not perfect evaluations like a Myles Garrett was coming out of Texas A&M.

Arvell Reese is a consensus top three pick with several draft analysts convinced he'll be the second player off the board. Sonny Styles, a converted safety, is being described as a "physical freak" and should also expect to hear his name called in the first five picks. That alone is almost unheard of. The two best and highly drafted linebackers in recent memory are Micah Parsons and Roquan Smith. Neither of whom were drafted in the top 5.

The other half of the top 10 should also include Buckeyes that challenge conventional wisdom. There is no JaMarr Chase or Justin Jefferson in this draft. Not only that, but Carnell Tate is the only first round projected receiver that fits the prototype size. Teams have to now ask themselves a question.

Do you take Tate in the top 10, with everything that implies from being a professional from day one to being a polished route runner, even though he may not have elite WR1 traits (namely 4.3 speed and being his teams WR1 in college)? No one questions if Tate will help a team and be an immediate impact. That seems to be expected. Is he worth a top 4-6 pick overall if he isn't Jeremiah Smith as a prospect, in a draft that could only see three receivers in the first round?

The most baffling concept to pay attention to is where will Caleb Downs go? Downs is not only the clear-cut best safety in this draft, but he is also arguably the best "football player" regardless of position in this draft. Yet the majority of narratives suggest Downs could slide. Despite having incredible tape.

Positives are now being viewed as negatives

Every single year, in the effort to reveal flaws or to revisit draft stock, factors are discussed that cause a moments' pause. Typically, those factors are the competition wasn't strong enough, that player didn't have the requisite number of collegiate starts, he could be a candidate to transition to a different position. What is being said about Buckeyes in 2026 is almost the inverse of that.

Whether it's Caleb Downs or Carnell Tate the same negatives keep coming up. The problem with that, is these factors have never been discussed as negatives before. Downs could slide because he didn't make enough plays, as a result of being surrounded by elite talent on that defense.

For Carnell Tate it's not so much a lack of making plays as it is "he wasn't the best receiver on his team". Let's address one thing right here and now. Jeremiah Smith might be the greatest WR prospect in the history of the modern NFL Draft. He is a literal outlier and being WR2 to Smith should in no way affect Tate's draft stock.

The other factor working against Tate is a belief that a top 10 picked WR needs to have 4.3 speed. Ask yourself the following. What do Puka Nakua, Ohio State's own Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Amon-Ra St. Brown and George Pickens all have in common? Those names constitute four of the top five receiving performances by WRs last year and none of those four names clocked 'fast' 40 times.

In almost any other draft, Ohio State having a stacked roster would not be viewed as a negative. The fact that Ohio State had players playing next to Downs and Tate who are great in their own right should have no bearing on Downs and Tate's draft stock.

If teams do not overthink the positional differences in this draft compared to most, abandon the idea that certain positions can't be drafted in the top 10, there is no reason to believe Reese, Styles, Tate and Downs would still be on the board at pick No. 11. The top four Buckeyes present an interesting case study. If it's perfectly acceptable to draft two linebackers in the top five-something very rare, no team should have an issue with taking the best wide receiver and the best safety in the top ten.

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