Ohio State Buckeyes’ Records and Milestones at the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft’s romance with Ohio State University dates back all the way back to the very first edition, in 1936.

Since then, several hundred Buckeyes have been recruited into the NFL via draft, with only a single year of no Ohio State prospects selected: 1998.

With the 2026 NFL Draft just around the corner -- and a slew of Buckeye hopefuls waiting to to write some history of their own -- here are Ohio State’s records and milestones throughout the years:

• The NFL has used 505 draft picks on Ohio State players, including regular and supplemental draft picks. A couple of players, Russ Thomas (1946-’47) and Bob Myers (1954-’55), were even picked twice. Only Notre Dame and USC have more.

• The AFL made 21 draft picks on Ohio State players in the 1960s, before the era of the common-draft. In most cases they were also picked by the NFL, with the vast majority choosing to play in the older established league. Notable exceptions that chose to side with the AFL were Bob White (1969), Jim Tyrer (1961) and Matt Snell (1964).

• Ohio State holds the NFL record for most first round selections through the draft’s history with 95. The Buckeyes could become the first school to reach three digits in 2026 if, as is widely projected, five players -- Arvell Reese, Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs, Kayden McDonald, Sonny Styles -- are selected in this year’s first round.

• Ohio State is the only school to ever produce multiple drafts of at least five first-rounders, achieving this in 2006 (A.J. Hawk, 5; Donte Whitner, 8; Bobby Carpenter, 18; Santonio Holmes,25; Nick Mangold, 29) and 2016 (Joey Bosa, 3; Ezekiel Elliott, 4; Eli Apple, 10; Taylor Decker, 16; Darron Lee, 20). This year’s crop could match this milestone. Only Miami (2004) and Alabama (2021) have produced more first-rounders -- six each -- in a single draft.

• Ohio State’s currently active streak of at least one first-rounder goes back to 2016, the second longest in the NCAA, trailing only Alabama who trace their streak back to 2009.

• Since the seven-round format was introduced in 1992, Ohio State owns a share of the second-largest total of players selected in a single draft, with 14 in 2004. This number is only surpassed by Georgia’s 15 from 2022.

• So far, three Buckeyes have been selected first overall in an NFL Draft: Tom Cousineau (1979), Dan Wilkinson (1994), and Orlando Pace (1997). Only six schools claim more first overall draftees than Ohio State.

• The latest a Buckeye has been selected in an NFL Draft was at 482nd overall in the 17th round of 1979, with the Bengals taking Scott Dannelley. In terms of rounds, the latest any Buckeye got picked up was John Priday in the 31st round of the 1945 Draft by the Packers.

• Everett Ross is the only former Buckeye to carry the dubious label of “Mr. Irrelevant” as the draft’s last player selected, going 335th overall in the 12th round of the 1989 Draft to the Vikings.

• Out of Ohio State’s 10 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- eight of them players -- five arrived to the NFL through the draft, including one through a supplemental draft. Dante Lavelli (HOF, 1975) was drafted in 1947 by the Rams, but had been playing pro football since a year earlier with the AAFC’s Browns. Jim Parker (HOF, 1973) was a first-rounder in 1957 for the Colts. Dick LeBeau (HOF, 2010) was a fifth-rounder in 1959 with Cleveland, while Paul Warfield (HOF, 1983) was also selected by the Browns, in the first round of 1964. Cris Carter (HOF, 2013) was chosen by Philadelphia through the supplemental draft in 1987. Lastly, Pace (HOF, 2016), the most recent Buckeye inducted, was the first overall pick of 1997 with the Rams.

• All six Buckeye Heisman Trophy winners have been drafted in the NFL, starting with Les Horvath (Heisman, 1944), being a 1943 sixth-rounder for the Cleveland Rams. Vic Janowicz (Heisman, 1950) was drafted in the seventh round by Washington in 1952. Howard Cassaday (Heisman, 1955) was taken third overall by Detroit in 1956. Two-time winner Archie Griffin (1974, 1975), was tapped by Cincinnati in the opening round of 1976. Eddie George (Heisman, 1995) went in the first round of 1996 to the Oilers. And Troy Smith (Heisman, 2006) was a fifth round choice of the Ravens in 2007.