Ohio State's sack leader from its 2024 national championship season is headed to Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Colts selected JT Tuimoloau in the second round with the No. 45 overall pick Friday, making him the seventh Buckeye drafted in the 2025 NFL draft’s first 45 picks, tying Ohio State’s program record for the most picks it’s had in the first two rounds in a draft.
JT JT
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 26, 2025
NFLN #NFLDraft
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Ohio State's 2025 NFL Draft Picks
- Emeka Egbuka: Round 1, No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Donovan Jackson: Round 1, No. 24, Minnesota Vikings
- Tyleik Williams: Round 1, No. 28, Detroit Lions
- Josh Simmons: Round 1, No. 32, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Quinshon Judkins: Round 2, No. 36, Cleveland Browns
- TreVeyon Henderson: Round 2, No. 38, New England Patriots
- JT Tuimoloau: Round 2, No. 45, Indianapolis Colts
Tuimoloau was projected to be an early second-round pick in nearly every NFL mock draft and he fell in line with that projection on Friday. He'll have a chance to contribute early and be an instant playmaker for the Colts as he joins a defensive line that also includes fellow former Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis.
He’s the first Buckeye drafted by the Colts since Parris Campbell in 2019.
Tuimoloau is the second Ohio State defensive lineman selected in the 2025 NFL draft, joining Tyleik Williams, who the Detroit Lions selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the first round. Their fellow starters from Ohio State’s 2024 defensive line, Jack Sawyer and Ty Hamilton, are also expected to be drafted.
Tuimoloau came into Ohio State with no shortage of hype, as he was the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. The Sammamish, Washington product was an instant contributor as a freshman and played in 55 career games for the Buckeyes.
Across four seasons at OSU, Tuimoloau racked up 144 career tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, two interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown), 10 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He led the 2024 OSU championship team in sacks, delivering 12.5 in his senior season.
No college team will be happier that Tuimoloau has moved on to the NFL than Penn State, as the Nittany Lions lost to Tuimoloau in all four of his seasons and surrendered big plays to No. 44 in multiple marquee matchups, including the signature game of his career in 2022, when he recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble that he recovered himself in Happy Valley.
