An unquestioned football factory, Ohio State has not only achieved college football blue blood status for its conference and national titles over the years, it's also recognized as a one of the top NFL-talent producers.
Past and current NFL teams are littered with Buckeyes that not only own roster spots but are considered key performers. Off the top of your head, you can easily rattle off names like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Taylor Decker, Cameron Heyward, Denzel Ward, Vonn Bell, Marshon Lattimore, Chase Young, okay I will take a breath now.
That was literally just rapid-fire keyboard action all of us can do, no thought needed, and there are a host of other guys I could list but you get the point. And that's only the active dudes. The long list of Buckeye greats who flourished in the NFL over the decades can't be denied.
Absent from any list of Ohio State players who evolved into NFL greats, or long term starters, is even one quarterback. It's honestly stunning zero guys to wear the scarlet and gray could be considered a major piece for a franchise as a starting quarterback over a period of even five years in the NFL.
Justin Fields, the 11th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and C.J. Stroud, Ohio State's starting quarterback the last two seasons who's been busy turning heads at the NFL Scouting Combine over the last couple days and projects to be maybe the first quarterback off the board this April, are looking to change the reality that Buckeye quarterbacks have never evolved into franchise players.
| QUARTERBACK | RD | PK | YEAR | YEARS | G | GS | COMP | ATT | COMP% | PASS YDS | TD | INT | RUSH YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. TOMCZAK | N/A | N/A | 1985 | 15 | 185 | 73 | 1,248 | 2,337 | 53.4 | 16,079 | 88 | 106 | 526 |
| K. GRAHAM | 8 | 211 | 1992 | 8 | 81 | 38 | 692 | 1,339 | 51.8 | 7,801 | 39 | 33 | 424 |
| J. FIELDS | 1 | 11 | 2021 | 2 | 27 | 25 | 351 | 588 | 59.7 | 4,112 | 24 | 21 | 1,563 |
| T. TUPA | 3 | 68 | 1988 | 9 | 220 | 13 | 259 | 504 | 51.4 | 3,340 | 12 | 25 | 187 |
| D. HASKINS | 1 | 15 | 2019 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 267 | 444 | 60.1 | 2,804 | 12 | 14 | 147 |
| B. HOYING | 3 | 85 | 1996 | 5 | 22 | 13 | 244 | 456 | 53.5 | 2,544 | 11 | 15 | 156 |
| T. PRYOR | 3* | 1 | 2011 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 170 | 302 | 56.3 | 1,953 | 9 | 12 | 646 |
| T. SMITH | 5 | 174 | 2007 | 4 | 20 | 8 | 121 | 234 | 51.7 | 1,734 | 8 | 5 | 230 |
| A. SCHLICHTER | 1 | 4 | 1982 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 91 | 202 | 45.0 | 1,006 | 3 | 11 | 161 |
| C. KRENZEL | 5 | 148 | 2004 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 127 | 46.5 | 718 | 3 | 6 | 41 |
| c. brumbaugh | N/A | N/A | 1930 | 8 | 96 | 49 | 34 | 121 | 28.1 | 656 | 9 | 14 | 25 |
| S. PINCURA | N/A | N/A | 1937 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 22 | 60 | 36.7 | 332 | 1 | 10 | -28 |
| J. GERMAINE | 4 | 101 | 1999 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 56.3 | 136 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| c. jones | N/A | N/A | 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 54.5 | 96 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
As it stands now, Mike Tomczak is the gold standard for NFL success by former Buckeye signal-callers. Make no mistake, Tomczak had a very respectable NFL career, lasting 15 years, throwing for 16,079 yards across 185 games and going 42-31 as a starter. Outside of 1996 with Pittsburgh when he guided the Steelers to a 10-5 record, he was never really a team's true starter. Instead, he was typically a veteran backup. Someone who could be counted on to know the offense and likely to keep his team in the game. He threw for over 2,000 yards twice and over 1,000 yards eight times. His career finished with 88 touchdowns and 106 interceptions.
Again, that's nothing to sneeze at but for it to be the best NFL career by an Ohio State quarterback is still shocking. Think of pretty much any other position and you'll come up with at least one former Buckeye who had an undeniably elite professional career.
After Tomczak's resume, the impact made by Buckeye quarterbacks decreases sharply. Kent Graham threw for 7,801 yards in 81 games going 17-21 as a starter to slot as the second-most prolific former Buckeye quarterback in the NFL. He never had a season with over 2,000 passing yards.
Tom Tupa comes next, with 3,430 passing yards in 109 games spanning nine years and except for one season when he was the starter for the then-Phoenix Cardinals, he was more highly regarded as a punter. That year he started under center for the Cardinals, Tupa logged one of the just four 2,000-yard passing seasons by a former Buckeye quarterback.
I won't touch on the rest of the list - you can see the data above - except to say we certainly don't know if Dwayne Haskins might've been able to help change the trend of Ohio State quarterbacks failing to become elite at the NFL level. Dwayne endured some ups and downs during a brief two-year career tragically cut short by his death just under eleven months ago but wow there's no arguing he had jaw-dropping arm talent. The effortless power and accuracy in his release was so fun to watch.
All of this brings us back to Fields and Stroud - two talents providing the latest hope Ohio State fans can watch a Buckeye soar to uncharted heights as franchise quarterbacks.
For his part, Fields made a big jump in his second NFL season, throwing for 2,242 yards, good enough for the second-most prolific passing season by a former Buckeye in the League. His 17 touchdown passes, 25 total touchdowns, and 3,385 total yards were all single-season NFL bests for any former Buckeye.
Fields rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022, good for the second-most by any quarterback in NFL history, he led the league with a 7.1 yards per carry mark and his 76.2 rush yards per game slotted sixth among all NFL players.
With a 5-20 record as a starter and 24 touchdown passes but with 21 interceptions, plus a 59.7% completion rate over his first two seasons, some question Fields' ceiling as a passer. The numbers are what they are but the counter argument is clearly his surrounding cast. Fields runs for his life every Sunday behind a leaky offensive line and he's yet to be blessed with upper-echelon receiving targets.
Weighing his strengths, opportunities and untapped potential, the Bears have indicated they'll continue to build around Fields as their franchise quarterback and likely trade down from the No. 1 spot in April's draft versus selecting another signal-caller. If Chicago can more adeptly slot pieces around Fields, his development should accelerate and Fields could be a few short years away from easily becoming the most impactful NFL quarterback Ohio State has ever produced.
After Stroud put on a show at the Combine, Fields could also have competition for that throne in short order. The back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalist didn't beat Michigan or win a CFP game - two factors that will always be brought up about his time in Columbus - but it's a team game and Stroud's talent as a passer is elite.
Throwing for 88 touchdowns against just 12 picks over his two years as the Buckeyes' starter, Stroud showed time and again he can make all the throws with pinpoint accuracy. His final game was also his best, displaying not only those traits but a strong ability to move in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, throw on the run, and even tuck and run for key yardage when the opportunity presented itself.
If Stroud's not the first quarterback off the board come April, it seems a lock he'll be a top-10 pick. That will set the stage for a career trajectory that could see him starting games quickly, in hopes of accelerating his own development.
Despite the inexact science that is predicting how top-tier college quarterbacks will fare in the professional ranks, Ohio State could soon be able to change the talk-track on its ability to attract, develop and produce talent ready to excel in the NFL thanks to the success of Fields and Stroud.
