Ohio State had four first-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected the fourth Buckeye of the night with the final pick of Round 1 as they selected former Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick.
The moment we got our guy. Welcome to #ChiefsKingdom Josh! pic.twitter.com/jZDp9Fwh4Z
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 25, 2025
Simmons was the second Ohio State offensive lineman drafted in Round 1, joining Donovan Jackson, who was selected No. 24 overall by the Minnesota Vikings. It's the first time two Ohio State offensive linemen have been taken in the first round of the same draft in 50 years. Guard Kurt Schumacher went No. 12 overall to the Saints and tackle Doug France went No. 20 overall to the Rams in the 1975 NFL draft.
Jackson and Simmons joined Emeka Egbuka (No. 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Tyleik Williams (No. 28, Detroit Lions) as Buckeyes drafted in Thursday night’s first round.
Simmons is the second Ohio State offensive tackle taken in the first round in the last three years, joining Paris Johnson Jr., who was selected No. 6 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 NFL draft.
He’s the first Buckeye drafted by the Chiefs since 2009, when the Chiefs drafted Donald Washington in the fourth round. He’s the first Buckeye ever drafted by Kansas City in the first round.
Simmons transferred to the Buckeyes from San Diego State in the summer of 2023 and started at left tackle that season, showing freakish athletic gifts but also inconsistency. He was one of the most penalized players in college football and had some poor showings early in the year and in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, where he allowed a sack and three quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus. He showed many improvements throughout the year, though.
Then, in 2024, Simmons emerged as one of the best tackles in college football. In six games, he allowed zero sacks and only a single pressure. He received a pass-blocking grade of 82 and a run-blocking grade of 68.7 for an overall grade of 74.4 from PFF.
A season-ending torn patellar tendon during the Buckeyes’ sixth game of the year prevented Simmons from picking up any postseason honors, but he was named an AP midseason All-American, and his improvement in those six games was enough to get him drafted in Round 1.
"Aside from genetics and gifts that I have, I think it's more work ethic," Simmons said at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1. "I like to think I'm very ahead in terms of repertoire, pass sets, the way I think of the game, how I diagnose fronts and stuff like that. Obviously, you get all that in your head and you can knock that out before you even step up to the ball, you can play a lot faster."
Simmons' first step to earning a starting job will getting back to full health as he continues to recover from his injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday, though, that Simmons could be cleared to play in time for training camp, giving him a chance to make an immediate impact as a rookie.
One of the Drafts biggest curiosities is #OSU OT Josh Simmons, a sure first-round talent coming off a patellar tendon rupture in October. While opinions vary, teams were impressed with where he was at Combine rechecks. He squatted 225 in April. Hes already doing sled work. Its pic.twitter.com/LCqjLDBTsl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2025
