In 1936 the NFL held its first draft. Two Buckeyes were selected and thus began the 80 year relationship of Ohio State providing talented players to the NFL machine. This series will break down all eight NFL divisions and the teams that drafted the 416 Ohio State players. 

New articles will be released on Tuesdays and Fridays through April 26th. 

ICYMI
AFC SOUTH
NFC SOUTH

AFC WEST
Teams in the AFC West have selected 33 Buckeyes. 7 of the 33 were First Round picks.

Denver Broncos
Denver leads AFC West and ranks 19th all-time with 9 Ohio State draft picks. The first Buckeye selected by the NFL version of the Denver Broncos was offensive tackle Mike Current in 1967. The last Ohio State player drafted by the Broncos was tight end Jeff Heuerman in 2015. 

Highest selected player
Randy Gradishar was the 14th pick of the 1974 NFL Draft. Gradishar played his entire 10-year career with the Broncos. He earned many awards during his playing days. In 1978 he earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He was named the Broncos MVP twice (1978 and 1980). Gradishar was honored with seven Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro honors five times. He started in 133 of the 145 games he played. Gradishar intercepted 20 passes and returned three of them for touchdowns. He also recovered 13 fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. 

In 2014 Bradley Roby became the second Ohio State player drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos. Randy Gradishar was the first in 1974.

Tony Dorsett describes an encounter he had with Gradishar in 1980. From the book The Truly Great: 

"I ran a pass pattern and was wide open but Danny White did not see me. I go back to the huddle and tell Danny that I am wide open. I ran the same route again but this time I was almost decapitated. My eyes were only partially open when I hit the ground. Trainers and doctors came running onto the field. They thought I was dead. Hey, I thought I was dead, too." 

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are tied with the Broncos for first in the AFC West and rank 19th all-time with 9 Ohio State draft picks. In 1971 defensive back Jack Tatum became the first Buckeye to get drafted by the NFL version of the Raiders. In 2011 defensive back Chimdi Chekwa became the last Ohio State player drafted by the Raiders.

Highest selected player
The Raiders selected Rickey Dudley 9th in 1996. Dudley played five seasons with the Raiders. Between 1996 and 2000 he started in 78 of the 80 games the Raiders played. He finished his time with the Raiders with 186 receptions, 2,627 yards and 29 touchdowns. He played one season with Cleveland (2001) and finished his final three seasons with Tampa Bay.

San Diego Chargers
San Diego is No. 3 in the AFC West and ranks 19th all-time with 9 Ohio State draft picks. The first Buckeye selected by the NFL version of the Chargers was defensive end Keith Ferguson in 1981. The last Ohio State player drafted by San Diego was defensive end Joey Bosa in 2016. 

Highest selected player
OT Jim Lachey was the 12th selection of the 1985 NFL Draft. Lachey had an 11 year NFL career and played in 131 games. The three teams he played for were the Chargers, Redskins and Raiders. Lachey's first three seasons were with the Chargers where he started in 43 of 44 games. After the 1987 season he went to the Redskins where he started on the team that defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.  

Jim Lachey was named to three Pro-Bowls and was a three-time first-team All-Pro player. Lachey was also named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are No. 4 in the AFC West and rank 24th all-time with 6 Ohio State draft picks. The first Buckeye selected by the NFL version of the Chiefs was wide receiver Bruce Jankowski in 1971. The last Ohio State player drafted by the Chiefs was defensive back Donald Washington in 2009. 

Highest selected player
DB Donald Washington was the 102nd pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. Washington was with the Chiefs from 2009 through 2011. He started in five of the 32 games Kansas City played. Washington finished his NFL career with 31 tackles and a forced fumble.

In 2014 he resurrected his playing career by signing with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Washington recorded 15 tackles in 2014 and was released at the end of the season. He is currently a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.