The Ohio State Buckeyes' Top Five First Round Picks Since 2010

A look at the recent history of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL Draft reveals a mind boggling number of home runs on both sides of the ball, including two Offensive Players of the Year, one Defensive Player of the Year, two Offensive Rookies of the Year and four Defensive Rookies of the Year.

And judging by what Ohio State has to offer for the 2026 NFL Draft, the hits will just keep on coming.

Here’s a look at the five best first-round picks since 2010, when the NFL adopted a three-day T.V.-friendly format for its annual draft:

Nick Bosa, defensive end, San Francisco 49ers, 2nd overall 2019

Sometimes, the whole talk about the little brother of a star player being even better is pure hyperbole. In the case of the Bosas, it wasn’t. Nick Bosa came into the league with a bang, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and the first of his five Pro Bowl nods in 2019 after being taken second overall.

His finest season to date has to be 2022, when he led the league with 18.5 sacks, earning him Defensive Player of the Year honors, along with his only first-team All-Pro selection, in addition to placing sixth in NFL MVP voting.

Injuries have taken a toll on Bosa, limiting him to just two games in 2020 and three games last year, but when he’s healthy, he’s elite.

Cam Heyward, defensive end, Pittsburgh Steelers, 31st overall 2011

Consistency is a virtue in the NFL, and Heyward is a great example. The seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro is about to embark on his sixteenth season in Pittsburgh, where he’s become one of the most respected leaders in the locker room.

Second all-time on the Steelers career sack list, Heyward is only eight sacks away from reaching the 100 sack mark for his career.

Marshon Lattimore, cornerback, New Orleans Saints, 11th overall 2017

Lattimore was at one point considered the league’s premier cornerback. The four-time Pro Bowler also took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2017, when he picked off a career-high five passes.

Once again a story of injuries taking its toll, Lattimore started declining heavily by 2022, leading to a fallout in New Orleans and subsequent trade to Washington where he’s struggled to regain top form.

Ezekiel Elliott, running back, Dallas Cowboys, 4th overall 2016

Elliott’s peak might have been short-lived, but what a spectacle he was. Zeke led the league in rushing twice over his first three seasons, a point in time in which he was the only human not named Jim Brown with a career average of over 100 rushing yards per game.

Of course, those numbers dipped dramatically once injuries started reducing Elliott’s explosiveness, leading him to become just a short-yardage back. However, he managed to retain his place as the league’s best backfield blocker.

The three-time Pro Bowler and one time first-team All-Pro came in second on the Rookie of the Year ballot, third in the MVP ballot and fifth in the Offensive Player of the Year ballot during his debut season in ‘16, when he shouldered the load in Dallas allowing Dak Prescott to gradually grow into a starting quarterback.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks, 20th overall 2023

Leaving Joey Bosa off the list was hard, but JSN has done so much in so little time, it’s impossible to ignore.

The league’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year put on weekly clinics on route-running on his way to a Super Bowl victory with Seattle last February, earning his second Pro Bowl nod and first All-Pro selection in the process. He also led the league with 1,793 receiving yards.

Even at a position with so much Buckeye talent like wide receiver -- Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, among recent first-rounders -- Smith-Njigba has found a way to separate himself from the pack just like he routinely does with defensive backs.

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