An Ohio State defensive tackle has been drafted in the first round for the first time in more than 20 years.
Tyleik Williams became the first Ohio State defensive tackle since Ryan Pickett in 2001 to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft as the Detroit Lions drafted him with the No. 28 overall pick on Thursday night.
@tyleikk
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 25, 2025
#NFLDraft 4/24-4/26 on NFLN, ABC & ESPN pic.twitter.com/Ay14D8rEH7
He’s just the third-ever Ohio State defensive tackle to be drafted in Round 1, joining Pickett and Dan Wilkinson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 draft.
He becomes Ohio State’s third pick in the 2025 draft, joining Emeka Egbuka (No. 19 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Donovan Jackson (No. 24 overall, Minnesota Vikings).
He’s the first Buckeye drafted by the Lions since they took Jeff Okudah, Jonah Jackson and Jashon Cornell in the 2020 NFL draft.
Williams makes the move to the league after a four-year career at Ohio State in which he recorded 136 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and 10 pass deflections. A Freshman All-American in 2021, Williams earned second-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024, when he played a major role up front for Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense that led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
It’s the second straight year Ohio State has had a defensive tackle drafted, as the Cleveland Browns selected Mike Hall with the No. 54 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft. Ohio State is expected to have another defensive tackle selected later in the draft as Ty Hamilton is projected as a middle-to-late-round choice.
Like many of his counterparts in Ohio State’s 2025 NFL draft class, Williams delayed the opportunity to go to the NFL last year with the goal of winning a national championship and becoming a first-round pick. He’s now achieved both of those goals.
