Two Former Buckeyes Tearing Up the NFL in Their Rookie Seasons

Ohio State has clearly become an NFL production factory over the past 10 to 15 years. Year over year, the best players in the league seem to have come from Columbus, Ohio, and this year is no different.

Former teammates Carnell Tate and Davison Igbinosun are tearing up their positions at the NFL level this year. From a team perspective, they are on two completely different trajectories, but from a personal perspective, they are both proving to be among the best players at their respective positions in their class.

Tate is living up to his hype. He was the fourth overall pick in last April's NFL Draft, a decision that was a bummer for the teams that came after the Titans. There were several teams in the top 10 hoping that Tate would accidentally fall to them because of what he is already showing at the NFL level.

To this point in the season, he leads all rookies in catches (34), yards (413), first downs converted (18), and obviously yards per game (59). 

The best thing that Tate does, and why his longevity in the NFL is going to be long, is his ability to catch the football in traffic. He is a contested-catch monster, and it was exactly what he was so good at during his time at Ohio State. 

There is absolutely no buyer's remorse from the Titans who took him with the fourth overall pick and are getting their money's worth.

All the way at the top of the AFC rankings is where cornerback Davison Igbinosun finds himself. The second-round pick has become one of the more reliable pieces of a Buffalo Bills secondary that struggles mightily. 

The Bills' pass defense flat-out stinks, and for Igbinosun, that is leading to him getting a lot of high-leverage opportunities early in his career, and he is answering the bell. So far, Igbinosun leads all rookie defenders with passes defended this year, with seven.

He certainly isn't playing perfect football, but what he brings to the table allows him to excel at the NFL level. He is so long, and his length allows him to close fast and get his hands into the catch zone with ease. 

He is a problem and as he continues to grow and develop, he is only going to improve.

The Buckeyes produced two of the best rookies in this year's class, and for everyone inside Buckeye Nation, not one person is surprised by this level of production.