Latest mock draft has Ohio State breakout star going surprisingly high in first round

CBS Sports' most recent projections forecast three Ohio State players being selected within the first 13 picks.

Oct 18, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) makes a catch for a touchdown against Wisconsin Badgers safety Austin Brown (9) in the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff and Bowl season are still several weeks away, and the 2026 NFL Draft won’t arrive until late April. Yet, mock drafts are popping up at increasing rates, shining the spotlight on some of college football’s brightest stars.

While virtually every mock draft around is bound to feature Ohio State prominently, CBS Sports’ latest projections have one stellar Buckeye going surprisingly high, third overall.

In Cooper Petagna’s first-round simulation, using the current selection order projected by the NFL’s standings as foundation, Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is mocked as the third-overall pick heading to the Tennessee Titans.

While no one should be shocked by an Ohio State player being considered a top-end prospect at the wideout position thanks to the number and caliber of all the talent fed to NFL teams in the last decade or so, Tate’s ascension into the upper-echelon of highly coveted draft targets among wide receivers is notable. Remember, he started the season somewhat overshadowed by sophomore phenom Jeremiah Smith before achieving stardom in his own right.

For the year, the 6’3 195-pound Tate has 34 receptions for 587 yards and six touchdowns, not far at all from Smith’s 49 catches for 602 yards and seven scores.

If Petagna’s forecast holds, Tate would not only be the first wide receiver selected this year, but he would also become Ohio State’s highest drafted wideout ever, breaking Marvin Harrison Jr.’s record after being selected fourth overall in 2024 by Arizona.

Of course, Tate is not the only Buckeyes appearing in CBS Sports’ first-round projection.

Standout safety Caleb Downs is penciled in as the Miami Dolphins’ selection at fifth overall.

The last time two Ohio State players were selected within the Top-5 was 2020, when Washington took edge rusher Chase Young second overall, and Detroit chose cornerback Jeff Okudah on the next pick.

Further down the line, linebacker Arvell Reese -- a revelation this year for the Buckeyes defense -- would be headed to the Minnesota Vikings via the 13th pick. Ohio State hasn’t seen three of its players taken among the first 13 picks since 2016, when Joey Bosa went third to the Chargers, Ezekiel Elliott went fourth to the Cowboys, and Eli Apple went 10th to the Giants.

Other notable Buckeyes that have been mocked in first rounds elsewhere, such as linebacker Sonny Styles and defensive lineman Kayden McDonald, are left out of Petagna’s first 32 turns.