Ohio State ties records with 14 selections in 2025 NFL Draft
The Ohio State football program had four players drafted last Thursday, three last Friday and seven more of its players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday to finish No. 1 among all schools with 14 total draft picks.
The 14 picks tie the Ohio State school record, set in 2004, marks its fifth time since 1994 for 10-or-more players selected and also ties its own Big Ten Conference record for most picks in one draft. (The seven-round NFL Draft started in 1994.)
The Ohio State football program's record of first-round NFL Draft picks increased to 95 Thursday evening when four more Buckeyes – WR Emeka Egbuka, OL Donovan Jackson, DT Tyleik Williams and LT Josh Simmons – were selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The four drafted Buckeyes give Ohio State multiple first-round draft picks in eight of the last 10 drafts (2016-17-18-19-20-22-23-25). Ohio State has produced multiple first-round picks 25 times in all.
Ohio State led the way with its four first-rounders with Georgia and Michigan next with three first-round picks apiece while Penn State, Oregon, Alabama and Texas each had two first-round picks. The Southeastern Conference led with 15 total draft picks with the Big Ten second with 11.
The Buckeyes have had a first-round draft pick for 10 consecutive years, second only to Alabama's streak of 17.
Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson shared a running back room at Ohio State and carries during the program’s run to the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship, and Friday night they shared the limelight as they were selected two picks apart in the 2025 NFL Draft to lead a fine draft day for the program that boasts the motto “developed here.”
Both players went early in the second round: Judkins No. 36 overall to the Cleveland Browns and Henderson No. 38 to the New England Patriots, giving Ohio State six picks inside the top 40 picks of the draft.
Joining the running back duo, and not long after, was defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who went No. 45 overall to the Indianapolis Colts. The seven Buckeyes selected in the first two rounds of the draft has tied the school record, set first in 2016, and it ranked No. 1 among all schools for most picks so far. Oregon, Georgia and Texas are right behind Ohio State with six picks apiece and Mississippi and Michigan each have five.
A highlight Saturday included two more defensive linemen drafted – end Jack Sawyer in the fourth round by Pittsburgh and tackle Ty Hamilton in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Rams – to establish a first for the program: four defensive linemen selected in one draft.
The quartet of linemen, including first-round pick Tyleik Hamilton (Detroit) and second-round selection JT Tuimoloau (Indianapolis), tops the three defensive linemen selected in the 2004, 2018 and 2020 drafts. The four Buckeyes have started alongside each other for the last two seasons and give defensive line coach and associate head coach Larry Johnson 20 players drafted in his 11 seasons on staff, starting with the 2015 draft.
Linebacker Cody Simon got the parade started Saturday by being selected in the fourth round, No. 115 overall, by the Arizona Cardinals. Later in the round, safety Lathan Ransom and Sawyer went back-to-back, Nos. 122 and 123 respectively, to Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Hamilton went No. 148 overall, in the fifth round, to the Rams, while cornerback Jordan Hancock was chosen with the 170th overall pick in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills. Four picks after Hancock, the Arizona Cardinals selected cornerback Denzel Burke with the 174th overall pick.
Quarterback Will Howard was selected in the sixth round with the 185th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He and Sawyer will now be teammates in the NFL, as will Simon and Burke with Arizona.
Right behind the 14 Buckeyes selected were 13 Georgia Bulldogs, 12 Texas Longhorns and 10 Oregon Ducks.
Day 1 Buckeyes Drafted
WR Emeka Egbuka – 1st Round, No. 19 Overall / Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Egbuka, from Steilacoom, Wash., was chosen with the 19th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The all-time record holder at Ohio State with 205 receptions, and who is second with 2,868 receiving yards, is the fifth Buckeye wide receiver to be drafted in the first round in the last four drafts. The others, all of whom were recruited and coached by Brian Hartline, are Garrett Wilson (2022; New York Jets), Chris Olave (2022, New Orleans Saints), Jaxon Smith Njigba (2023; Seattle Seahawks) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (2024; Arizona Cardinals).
OL Donovan Jackson – 1st Round, No. 24 Overall / Minnesota Vikings
Jackson, the ninth offensive lineman from Ohio State selected in the NFL Draft this decade (since 2020), is from Cypress, Texas. He was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings with the 24th overall pick. He was a 2024 first-team All-American and Academic All-American who played in 55 games and started 40 times, including nine times at LT in 2024. He was a three-time first-team all-Big Ten Conference honoree.
DT Tyleik Williams – 1st Round, No. 28 Overall / Detroit Lions
Williams, from Manassas, Va., was selected No. 28 overall in the first round by the Detroit Lions. Williams anchored the national champions' No. 1 in the nation total defense and scoring defense in 2024. He is the first Buckeye defensive tackle to be selected in the first round since the late, great Will Smith was in 2004 by the New Orleans Saints. He is also the 17th Ohio State defensive lineman coached by Larry Johnson to be drafted in the last 11 drafts.
OT Josh Simmons – 1st Round, No. 32 Overall / Kansas City Chiefs
Simmons, who is from San Diego and transferred to Ohio State in January 2023, joins offensive linemate Jackson in the first round – a 50-year first for two first-round offensive linemen – as he was selected with the 32nd pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in and started all 19 games at Ohio State before an injury in the sixth game of the 2024 season ended his collegiate career. He joins a contingent of Buckeye offensive tackles who've been selected in the first round that includes Jim Lachey (1985, San Diego Chargers), Orlando Pace (1997, St. Louis Rams), Taylor Decker (2016, Detroit Lions) and Paris Johnson Jr. (2023, Arizona Cardinals).
Day 2 Buckeyes Drafted
RB Quinshon Judkins – 2nd Round, No. 36 Overall / Cleveland Browns
Judkins is the first running back from Ohio State drafted since Trey Sermon went in the third round in 2021 to San Francisco. He led the national champions in rushing with 1,060 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns and totaled 3,785 rushing yards, 50 total TDs (45 rushing) and 59 receptions in his 42-game/26-start career.
RB TreVeyon Henderson – 2nd Round, No. 38 Overall / New England Patriots
§ Henderson and Judkins become the first pair of Ohio State running backs drafted in the same draft since 1991 when Jeff Cothran (Cincinnati Bengals), Raymont Harris (Chicago Bears) and Butler By’not’e (Denver Broncos) were all drafted. Henderson is fifth on Ohio State’s venerable all-time rushing charts with 3,761 yards and ranks third all-time at Ohio State with 48 touchdowns scored.
DE JT Tuimoloau – 2nd Round, No. 45 / Indianapolis Colts
Tuimoloau, a three-time all-Big Ten Conference first-team honoree, is the 18th defensive lineman coached by Larry Johnson at Ohio State to be drafted. He played in 55 games, started 42 times, had a monster 2024 (21.5 TFLs; 12.5 sacks) and had 144 career tackles, 43.5 TFLs (-220), 23.5 QB sacks (-169), 16 QB hurries and 10 PBUs.
Day 3 Buckeyes Drafted
LB Cody Simon – 4th Round, No. 115 Overall / Arizona Cardinals
Simon was a 2024 team captain and Block "O" jersey recipient for character, leadership, toughness and accountability. He led the national champion Buckeyes with 112 tackles while also recording 12.5 TFLs and 7.0 QB sacks. He played in 59 games with 30 starts.
SAF Lathan Ransom – 4th Round, No. 122 Overall / Carolina Panthers
Ransom earned five Varsity O letters while playing in 55 games, starting 37 times and earning first-team all-Big Ten honors in 2024 after 76-tackle, 9.0-TFL season. He had 228 career tackle and 16.5 tackles-for-loss, along with six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 14 pass break-ups.
DE Jack Sawyer – 4th Round, No. 123 Overall / Pittsburgh Steelers
Sawyer was a 2024 team captain and a scoop-and-score legend who played in 55 games, started 29 times and had 144 career tackles, 28.5 tackles-for-loss (-162 yards), 23 sacks (-152 yards), six forced fumbles, 15 QB hurries and 11 pass break-ups.
DT Ty Hamilton – 5th Round, No. 148 Overall / Los Angeles Rams
Hamilton and teammate Tyleik Williams are the first pair of Ohio State defensive tackles to be drafted in the same draft since 2020, when DaVon Hamilton (3rd round, Jacksonville) and Jashon Cornell (7th, Detroit) were each selected in the draft. Hamilton played in 57 Ohio State games, including all 55 from 2021-24, and started 29 times. He had 116 career tackles and 13.0 tackles-for-loss.
CB Jordan Hancock – 5th Round, No. 170 Overall / Buffalo Bills
Hancock played in 51 games and started 23 times and had his best year in 2024 with 48 tackles, eight pass break-ups and an interception, the third of his career. He recorded 98 career tackles plus had 17 total passes defensed (14 pass break-ups, three interceptions).
CB Denzel Burke – 5th Round, No. 174 Overall / Arizona Cardinals
Burke was a four-year starter for Ohio State and one of only three Buckeyes with at least 50 career starts (51). Burke had 28 career pass break-ups and four interceptions for 32 career passes defensed. He is from Scottsdale, Ariz., and joins a Cardinals team that has drafted Marvin Harrison Jr., Paris Johnson and Cody Simon in the last three drafts.
QB Will Howard – 6th Round, No. 185 Overall / Pittsburgh Steelers
Howard is the fifth consecutive Ohio State starting quarterback to be drafted (including Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse for the 2024 season and was also drafted today in the sixth round by Philadelphia). Howard was the national championship game and CFP semifinal offensive MVP who set Ohio State single season and career passing percentage (.714) records. He finished his career with 9,994 career passing yards with 85 TDs and 1,147 rush yards and 26 TDs.
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