For the first time in 50 years, two Ohio State offensive linemen were taken in the first round of an NFL draft.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Buckeye guard Donovan Jackson No. 24 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, and with the final pick of the opening round, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Buckeye tackle Josh Simmons No. 32 overall.
Jackson and Simmons are the first pair of Ohio State offensive linemen selected in the first round of the same NFL draft since 1975, when guard Kurt Schumacher went No. 12 overall to the New Orleans Saints and tackle Doug France went No. 20 overall to the Los Angeles Rams.
.@D_jack78's night got a lot better when he got that life-changing call from Minnesota.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 25, 2025
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Offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. went No. 6 overall to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 draft, but otherwise, first-round offensive linemen have been few and far between for the Buckeyes in recent years. In the previous eight drafts before this year from 2017 through 2024, only Johnson and center Billy Price, a first-round pick of the Bengals in 2018, were selected on the draft's first day.
Jackson and Simmons' paths to the draft's first round were distinct. Simmons transferred from San Diego State to Ohio State to fill a massive need at left tackle for the Buckeyes, but there were penalty issues and inconsistencies in his game. Through his season-and-a-half wearing the scarlet and gray, he developed into one of the nation's premier offensive tackles.
An AP midseason All-American who surrendered no sacks and only one pressure in six games in 2024, per Pro Football Focus, Simmons may well have been an All-American at the end of the season, too, had he not torn his patellar tendon at Oregon in Ohio State’s sixth game of the year. He'll be a prime candidate to win a Super Bowl early in his career blocking for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Jackson started at left guard for the Buckeyes in 2022, 2023 and the first half of 2024, then kicked out to left tackle to take Simmons' place in the second half of Ohio State's championship season. He emerged through that title run as one of the nation's best tackles, despite never playing the position at the collegiate level before. Jackson surrendered two sacks to Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick on Thursday, in his first start at guard, then didn't surrender another the rest of the year. He shut down a line of elite edge rushers in the College Football Playoff, including Tennessee's James Pearce Jr., who the Atlanta Falcons selected with the No. 26 overall pick on Thursday.
Jackson started 40 games total in his Ohio State career and took home first-team All-Big Ten honors three consecutive seasons from 2022 through 2024.
Jackson and Simmons joined wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 19 overall, Buccaneers) and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (No. 28 overall, Lions) in giving the Buckeyes a draft-high four first-round picks on Thursday night.
