Ohio State has 7 players taken in first 2 rounds of NFL draft

Ohio State rode the deepest, most talented roster in college football to a national title last season. NFL evaluators took notice.

Seven Buckeyes were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft, matching the program record set in 2016. That was two more than any other school in rounds 1 and 2 this year; Texas had five players selected.

Receiver Emeka Egbuka was the first Buckeye off the board, heading to Tampa Bay with the 19th overall pick. Egbuka led Ohio State with 81 receptions in 2024 and had 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

Versatile offensive lineman Donovan Jackson went to Minnesota at No. 24. Four picks later, Detroit drafted defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. Kansas City rounded out an eventful first night of the draft by adding offensive lineman Josh Simmons.

Three of the first 13 players picked during Friday night's second round were Buckeyes. Cleveland took running back Quinshon Judkins 36th overall with one of many picks acquired from Jacksonville in exchange for the No. 2 overall selection.

TreVeyon Henderson, the other half of Ohio State’s dynamic running back duo, was selected by New England with the 38th pick. Henderson and Judkins combined for 2,076 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in 2024.

Edge rusher JT Tuimoloau was the final Ohio State selection of the round, picked by Indianapolis at No. 45.

Notre Dame, which lost 34-23 to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game, had its first player selected when the Buccaneers took cornerback Benjamin Morrison at No. 53. Morrison missed the second half of last season with a hip injury.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL