The Ohio State Buckeyes football team has never been short on NFL Draft talent, and that won’t change in 2026.
In a recent seven-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft from PFSN analyst Jacob Infante, it didn’t take long to notice a familiar trend: former Buckeyes were scattered all over the first round. By the end of Day 1 projections, five players from Columbus were slated to hear their names called, the most of any program.
And one name stood out near the very top.
Caleb Downs Headlines Buckeyes’ Draft Class
Star safety Caleb Downs is projected to go No. 9 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Infante. That’s elite territory, and it reflects just how highly scouts view the Buckeyes’ defensive anchor.
Infante didn’t mince words when evaluating Downs:
“He’s a significant, physical, athletic, intelligent safety with good ball skills in coverage and the fluidity to cover a lot of ground as a two-high or single-high safety. He’s the real deal.”
That versatility is exactly what separates Downs from other prospects. He can rotate between single-high and two-high looks, play downhill in run support, and cover ground sideline-to-sideline. In today’s NFL, where defensive flexibility is critical, that kind of interchangeable skill set is priceless.
It’s also a major reason why PFSN’s consensus big board ranks Downs as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
Buckeyes Own the Top of the Board
Remarkably, Ohio State players occupy the top three spots on that same board.
Following Downs are edge rusher Arvell Reese at No. 2 and linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 3. That trio alone highlights just how dominant the Buckeyes’ defense was during the 2025 season.
Ohio State’s defensive dominance wasn’t just hype; it was backed by numbers. PFSN’s CFB Defense Impact Score graded the unit at 95.4, the fourth-best mark in the country. Even more impressive? Opponents averaged fewer than 10 points per game against the Buckeyes.
The defense had elite talent at every level, featuring disruptive playmakers along the line of scrimmage, athletic and rangy linebackers controlling the middle, and a secondary led by Downs that erased explosive plays. It was a complete unit, and NFL teams clearly took notice.
As dominant as the defense was, Ohio State’s offensive pipeline continues to thrive, especially at wide receiver.
Wideout Carnell Tate is projected to go inside the top five to the New York Giants, becoming the first receiver off the board in Infante’s mock draft.
Ohio State is widely known as “WRU,” and for good reason. The Buckeyes consistently produce elite receivers who transition seamlessly to the NFL, with recent standouts like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr. Tate looks poised to continue that impressive lineage.
Five projected first-round picks. Arguably, the top three players in the draft. A defense that suffocates opponents and an offense that keeps producing NFL-ready skill talent. For Ohio State, this isn’t an outlier; it’s the standard.
If these projections hold, the Buckeyes won’t just have a strong showing in the 2026 NFL Draft; they could dominate Day 1 entirely.
And with Caleb Downs leading the charge as “the real deal,” the next wave of Buckeyes appears ready to take over the league.
