Ranking how much the Ohio State Buckeyes will miss each NFL Draft departure

The Buckeyes’ roster has seen major turnover in the past month, with the 2026 NFL draft slowly approaching and the transfer portal window closing Friday.

While the portal took some of Ohio State’s young, up-and-coming talent, the draft is where the program is losing major contributors from 2025.

Six Buckeyes have declared for the NFL draft, leaving Ohio State with many holes to fill as they approach the 2026 season. As the program says goodbye to some Buckeye greats who will become future NFL stars, here is a ranking of who Ohio State will miss the most this upcoming season.

No. 1: S Caleb Downs

To put it simply, Caleb Downs is an irreplaceable talent.

Over Downs’ two seasons with the Buckeyes, the safety recorded 150 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and eight pass breakups and was the anchor that led Ohio State to back-to-back No. 1 ranked defenses. Rising sophomore Jaylen McClain, as well as transfer safeties Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore, will stabilize the secondary after Downs’ departure, with similar play styles to the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award winner.

Downs is expected to be an early first-round pick, and many analysts rank Downs as one of, if not the best player available in the draft.

No. 2: WR Carnell Tate

Carnell Tate is expected to be yet another Buckeye wide receiver to make his name known in the NFL. Despite being positioned as the No. 2 option next to star receiver Jeremiah Smith, Tate appeared to be the better pass catcher during a few of Ohio State’s wins in 2025. In his last season as a Buckeye, Tate played in 11 games, hauling in 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Buckeyes will feel Tate’s absence if another wide receiver does not step up and match the elite play of the former Buckeye pass-catcher.

Brandon Inniss will return to the Buckeyes for his fourth season and will compete with transfer wide receivers Kyle Parker and Devin McCuin, along with incoming five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr., to fill Tate’s shoes.

A former five-star prospect himself, Tate is a projected early first-round pick and is considered the top wide receiver available next to Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.

No. 3: LB Arvell Reese

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they only got a taste of Arvell Reese’s potential following a breakout season for the junior linebacker.

Reese made 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks his final season and emerged as a prominent contributor in Matt Patricia’s defense. The Buckeye linebacker had a strong start to his season, then tapered off in the latter half before pulling together a solid performance against Miami in the Cotton Bowl.

Named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, Reese’s departure from Ohio State further weakens the Buckeyes’ linebacker room, which has seen another starter declare for the draft.

With Reese expected to be a top-five pick, linebackers Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn will both be competing for starting spots along with Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro.

No. 4: LB Sonny Styles

The ‘Block O’ recipient of 2025, Sonny Styles, joins Reese in the draft. It will be a challenge for the Buckeyes to find a replacement for the leadership and veteran presence Styles provides to the team.

That’s not to mention his NFL-caliber play, accounting for 236 total tackles and nine sacks over his three years as a starter. Similar to Reese, Styles leaves the Buckeyes with the same replacement challenge.

The former Ohio State captain is projected to be a mid-first-round pick.

No. 5: DT Kayden McDonald

Kayden McDonald burst onto the scene in 2025 in his final year as a Buckeye, with his 326-pound frame cementing him as one of the best defensive linemen in college football. As a nose guard, McDonald made 65 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

Viewed as a late-first, early-second round pick, Ohio State will likely replace McDonald with either incoming Alabama transfer James Smith, the No. 1 defensive lineman available in the transfer portal, or rising senior Will Smith Jr., who sat behind McDonald in 2025.

No. 6: TE Max Klare

After spending his first three seasons at Purdue, Max Klare proved to be quarterback Julian Sayin’s top receiving tight end and generally a reliable pass-catching option for the Buckeyes, catching 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns.

With Klare being the third tight end to leave the Buckeyes, transfers Hunter Welcing and Mason Williams, as well as rising sophomore Nate Roberts and redshirt senior Bennett Christan, look to fill out the depth chart and compete for a starting role.

Klare is expected to be a round-three pick.