The Ohio State Buckeyes are known for sending players to the league, as no program has produced more NFL first round draft picks. The Buckeyes landed four picks in the top 11 of Thursday’s 2026 NFL draft, bringing their all-time total of first round selections to 99: wide receiver Carnell Tate to the Tennessee Titans (No. 4), edge Arvell Reese to the New York Giants (No. 5), linebacker Sonny Styles to the Washington Commanders (No. 7), and safety Caleb Downs to the Dallas Cowboys (No. 11).

Ohio State became the first school in 59 years to accomplish that feat since Michigan State in 1967, and the third all-time. The draft highlighted how the Buckeyes are developing NFL-caliber prospects at an unprecedented rate.

In addition to that landmark, Ohio State is also the first school in the common draft era to have three defenders be selected in the top 11. It builds on a 2025 class that tied a school record with 14 total picks and four first rounders. Impressively, only Styles is a senior, and that’s only because he technically reclassified to the 2022 recruiting class. The ability to send off three top 11 picks who have only played three years shows that the development trajectory is quite accelerated under head coach Ryan Day.

Here are the full stories from Buckeyes Roundtable writer Anthony Moeglin on the four first round stars.

Day now has a total 18 selections in his seven seasons as head coach, eclipsing former coaches Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel in his record development of NFL first round talent.