The 1st Round of the NFL Draft is a month away (4/26) and it will air on network television (Fox) for the first time. This little series will give you some historical data about Ohio State players and the NFL Draft. What is this good for? I don't know, but maybe you can wow your friends and family as you watch the latest Buckeyes get selected in the 1st Round.
Before we start, can you answer these questions? Who was the highest selected Buckeye linebacker? How many Ohio State linebackers have been drafted? How about the number of Buckeye linebackers taken in the 1st Round? Read on, and you will find those answers and maybe some other trivial sh..tuff.
Highest Selected Ohio State Linebacker
The Buckeyes have had many talented players at the linebacker position. When I was a kid, Chris Spielman was the epitome of the middle linebacker. No. 36 was all over the field and always gave directions to get his teammates in the proper position. However, he's not the answer as the Lions took him in the 2nd Round of the 1988 Draft.
Marcus Marek has the most tackles in a Buckeye career, James Laurinaitis is the most decorated linebacker and A.J Hawk was selected fifth overall by the Packers, but none of them was taken before this Buckeye from the 1970s.
So, who was the highest selected Ohio State linebacker? Members of the vaunted Premium Lounge played a trivia game and were given a choice of four players: Tom Cousineau, Randy Gradishar, A.J. Hawk and Rick Middleton. Of those that played, just under 65% knew that Tom Cousineau was the correct answer.
| YEAR | PLAYER | RD | PICK | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | TOM COUSINEAU | 1 | 1 | BILLS |
| 2006 | A.J. HAWK | 1 | 5 | PACKERS |
| 1974 | RICK MIDDLETON | 1 | 13 | SAINTS |
| 1974 | RANDY GRADISHAR | 1 | 14 | BRONCOS |
| 2014 | RYAN SHAZIER | 1 | 15 | STEELERS |
In 1978, the Buffalo Bills traded O.J. Simpson for five draft picks. That trade gave the Bills the first pick in the 1979 NFL Draft and Buffalo took Tom Cousineau. This marked the first time in history that an Ohio State players was selected No. 1 overall in the draft. However, Cousineau would never suit up in Buffalo's red, white and blue uniform.
The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL offered Cousineau double the money and the All-American linebacker followed the green and headed to the Great White North.
After a few seasons in the CFL, Cousineau wanted to play in the NFL. In 1982, Art Modell gave the Bills the 14th pick of the 1982 Draft (Jim Kelly) in addition to a second and third draft choice in subsequent years. It was a large price, but the former Buckeye was now back in the great state of Ohio.
Cousineau spent four seasons in Cleveland and led the Browns in tackles three times. In 1987, he retired as a 49er after six seasons in the NFL. Cousineau started in 59 of the 66 NFL games he played in, had 6.5 sacks, 10 interceptions and recovered five fumbles.
By The Numbers: Ohio State Linebackers in the Draft
0: OSU linebackers selected in the 1st Round between 1936 and 1973.
1: The number of Buckeye linebackers drafted by the Browns (Craig Powell, 1995).
2: Amount of Ohio State linebackers taken by the Bengals. Steve Tovar (1993) and Ken Kuhn (1976).
10: Linebackers taken in the 1st Round.
22: Total number of NFL teams to pick a Buckeye linebacker.
44: The number of Ohio State linebackers selected in the NFL Draft**.
*Vernon Gholston (DL), Jim Houston (E) and Bob Brudzinski (DE) were selected as linebackers before some of the players in the Top 5, but were listed as defensive linemen by Ohio State's Media Guide before the final season. Gholston, Houston and Brudzinski will count as defensive linemen.
**Keith Ferguson (Chargers, 1981) and Eric Kumerow (Dolphins, 1988) were drafted as defensive ends, but were listed as linebackers in Ohio State's Media Guide during the final season. For this series, Ferguson and Kumerow count toward the linebacker total.
