2 Prospect Lists Showcase Ohio State’s Historic NFL Draft Potential

August watchlists are generally of little use; they are used to produce headlines, to spark discussion, and to occupy the last quiet period before the college football season starts.

This week, a preseason list of candidates for Comeback Player of the Year was published. Take a moment to consider that point; we are being asked to watch for a comeback which has not yet taken place.

That exactly describes the odd nature of August college football, since almost every award has a watchlist and most of them will be forgotten as the games begin.

The Senior Bowl Top 300 and the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl 1000 have greater significance. These lists are not trying to forecast who is going to win an award several months ahead. Instead, they are based on the players that scouts think actually have a real chance of making it to the NFL.

In 2022, Georgia set the NFL Draft record for the most selections in seven rounds with 15 picks. Ohio State will need 16 players chosen to break that record and 18 to exceed Texas' total of 17 from the 12-round 1984 draft.

Two watchlists reveal Ohio State’s extraordinary depth.

Fourteen Buckeyes are included on both lists, although Ohio State's edge defender Qua Russaw was named to the Senior Bowl list and yet was not one of the 19 players chosen by the Shrine Bowl. The total number of different players recognized by at least one of the two scouting bodies thus reaches 20.

The rest of the players listed are Jeremiah Smith, James Smith, Austin Siereveld, Julian Sayin, Terry Moore, Luke Montgomery, Devin McCuin, Jaylen McClain, Jermaine Mathews Jr., Earl Little II, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Brandon Inniss, Carson Hinzman, Christian Alliegro, Beau Atkinson, John Walker, Eddrick Houston, Phillip Daniels and Bennett Christian.

It is for this reason that the total figure when the two groups are combined is more significant than the normal total on the preseason watch list. The two separate scouting organizations looked at Ohio State's roster and discovered professional potential that goes well beyond a small number of the players expected to be chosen in the early rounds.

Twenty prospects may not be Ohio State’s ceiling.

Just because a player is on an all-star watchlist doesn't mean that they will be drafted. Some of Ohio State's underclassmen have to decide first whether or not to enter the draft, and during the season the class will be altered by injuries, playing time, and performance. There are also other unnamed talented players who could emerge this fall.

Ethan Onianwa has recently given an example of the way in which another prospect can appear as a result of the postseason evaluation process.

During the only season that he spent at Ohio State after having transferred from Rice, Onianwa took part in just 96 offensive snaps and never secured a starting spot on the Buckeyes' offensive line, as a result of which he was not included in the original Senior Bowl roster.

He made a good impression at the American Bowl, secured a late invitation to the Senior Bowl, and was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons with the 231st overall pick in the seventh round.

Ohio State has already been the leading program in the NFL Draft in terms of the total number of selections the last two years, with 14 choices in 2025 and 11 in 2026. The 14 picks in 2025 equaled the school record.

The fact that 20 different players had legitimate recognition from NFL all-star scouts at the start of the season means that it's worth keeping an eye on history.

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