Ohio State’s 2026 NFL draft class likely won’t be as big as its 2025 NFL draft class, but there will likely be at least one Buckeye drafted higher than any Buckeye was this year.
As Ohio State replaces 14 players who were selected in the 2025 NFL draft, it enters the 2025 season with far fewer players who project as sure-fire draft picks than it had at this time a year ago. After all, Ohio State has just two returning starters who are seniors in their final year of eligibility – linebacker Sonny Styles and cornerback Davison Igbinosun – and only seven total returning players who started a majority of its games this past season.
That said, Ohio State should have one of the top prospects in the entire 2026 NFL draft in junior safety Caleb Downs, who would have been one of the top picks in this year’s draft if he was eligible and is considered by many to be the best prospect at any position for next year’s draft. And there are plenty of other Buckeye upperclassmen who also have the potential to establish themselves as coveted NFL prospects.
Below, we take a look at 16 possible 2026 draft entrants from Ohio State who NFL teams will have reason to keep a close eye on this fall.
The Sure-Fire Top Prospect
Caleb Downs, S
There might be only one player from any school who can be considered a true lock to be a top pick next year, and Downs is that player. While most of the other forecasted top picks in next year’s draft – including Arch Manning and all of the other quarterbacks – have a lot to prove next season to validate their early first-round projections, Downs would be ready to go lead an NFL secondary right now.
A unanimous All-American this past season, Downs checks every box needed to be an elite NFL safety. His combination of athleticism, coverage ability, tackling ability and football IQ enables him to line up just about anywhere and be a difference-maker, and it would be a surprise if he isn’t immediately one of the NFL’s top safeties, just as he’s been one of college football’s elite safeties in each of his two seasons at Alabama and Ohio State.
Early-Round Prospects
Sonny Styles, LB
Styles is the player I’d personally bet on as Ohio State’s most likely 2026 first-round pick not named Caleb Downs. While he has to make big strides in his second year as a full-time linebacker to validate that potential, his prototypical physical tools give his draft stock a very high ceiling if he plays up to expectations as a senior.
He has ideal measurables for an NFL linebacker at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, and his background playing safety gives him excellent range and versatility. He still needs to become more consistent in coverage and show he’s mastered the finer points of linebacker play to solidify himself as an early-round draft choice, but like Downs, his combination of physical attributes, intangibles, ability to line up in numerous spots and proven production on a national championship defense make him a highly appealing prospect.
A big senior season could make Sonny Styles one of the 2026 NFL draft’s top linebackers.
Carnell Tate, WR
An Ohio State wide receiver has been selected in the first round in each of the last four NFL drafts, and Tate has the talent to extend that streak to five. The sure-fire first-round pick in Ohio State’s wide receiver room (Jeremiah Smith) won’t be draft-eligible until 2027, but Tate is already drawing first-round projections in many early 2026 mock drafts.
To make good on those projections, Tate will need to become a consistent difference-maker as he becomes Ohio State’s No. 2 receiver opposite Smith in 2025. But he showed plenty of upside to be that in his first season as a starter, catching 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns last year, and his fluid athleticism and route-running ability at 6-foot-3 could allow him to eventually become a Terry McLaurin-esque player at the next level.
Max Klare, TE
Aside from Downs, Klare might be Ohio State’s most NFL-ready player entering the 2025 season. He looked the part last year at Purdue, where he caught 51 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns as the top target on an otherwise putrid passing offense.
To have a chance to be a first-round pick, Klare will need to prove himself as a blocker while continuing to produce as a pass-catcher in an offense where he’ll have far steeper competition for targets. But Klare could easily emerge as the top tight end in the 2026 draft class if he puts up big numbers with the Buckeyes and also performs well as a run blocker.
Middle-Round Prospects Who Could Rise
Ethan Onianwa, OT
Another transfer who could emerge as an early-round pick if he performs up to expectations this season, Onianwa has a bit more to prove than Klare as he makes a big jump in competition from Rice to Ohio State. At 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds with excellent athleticism and power, though, Onianwa could go as high as the first round if he excels in his lone season as a Buckeye.
He’s shown he can excel as both a pass and run blocker, allowing just one sack in nine games as Rice’s left tackle last season, but he’ll have to be just as dominant on a weekly basis in the Big Ten to show NFL teams he can start on the edge at the highest level.
Davison Igbinosun, CB
Igbinosun is another senior who could be included in the early-round prospects category, but he’s in this category instead for one big reason: Penalties. To be a starting cornerback in a league where pass interference is a spot foul and contact with a receiver more than five yards downfield is a penalty, Igbinosun must get better at not grabbing receivers after leading the entire FBS with 16 penalties last season.
Penalties aside, there’s a lot to like about Igbinosun as a pro prospect, particularly his size (6-foot-2, 193 pounds) and excellence as a perimeter run defender as well as his coverage skill. But whether Igbinosun can cut down on penalties could make all the difference between being an early-round pick or a late-round pick one year from now.
Seniors to Watch
CJ Donaldson, RB
Donaldson would have been on the fringe of being a late-round pick or going undrafted if he entered this year’s NFL draft, but he has a chance to boost his draft stock significantly in his senior year after transferring from West Virginia to Ohio State.
The powerful 6-foot-2, 226-pound running back showed a different gear of speed this spring after losing 18 pounds at Ohio State’s behest, and playing with much more talent around him could allow Donaldson to show his full ability to be a difference-maker as both a runner and receiver out of the backfield. He probably won’t become a second-round pick like Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were this year, but a rise into the middle rounds seems realistic.
Will Kacmarek, TE
While he needs to show more as a receiver this year after catching just eight passes for 86 yards last season, his blocking ability could make him a similar prospect to Luke Farrell, who parlayed a fifth-round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 into a three-year, $11 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason.
Kacmarek demonstrated NFL-caliber blocking ability last year in his first season at Ohio State, and his 42 catches for 507 yards in two years at Ohio University show he’s capable of more as a receiver than what Buckeye fans saw in 2024, too. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, he has the measurables NFL teams look for at tight end and should be on their radar this season even as he splits playing time with Klare.
C.J. Hicks, DE/OLB
Hicks is the biggest wild card from an NFL draft perspective among Ohio State’s seniors.
If his move to the edge unlocks his five-star talent and he makes a big impact as a pass-rusher for the Buckeyes this season, he could soar up draft boards. Physically, he looks the part of a player who could be a dynamic outside linebacker in a 3-4 NFL defense. But with just one year of remaining eligibility and not just to show for his first three years as a Buckeye, Hicks must have a big senior season just to prove he should be drafted at all.
Caden Curry, DE
Like Hicks, Curry enters his fourth year at Ohio State needing a big senior season to show he should be drafted.
He’s demonstrated NFL attributes as both a run defender and pass-rusher, but the 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end needs to demonstrate he can be consistently effective in both capacities while playing more regularly than he has in his first three years as a Buckeye. How many snaps he’ll play in 2025 is uncertain as he’ll be splitting time with Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Hicks and offseason transfer additions Beau Atkinson and Logan George, but he’ll need to make the most of whatever snaps he gets to get his name called next April.
Lorenzo Styles Jr., CB
After transferring to Ohio State two years ago to play cornerback with the belief that would give him a better chance to play in the NFL, Styles has one year to make his case to NFL scouts as a likely starter after backing up Jordan Hancock at nickel for the past two years.
Styles hasn’t played enough to be considered a likely draft pick yet, but he has the size and speed to play in the league and was impressive in coverage from his slot cornerback position during practices that were open to the media this spring. He also played the most special teams snaps of any Buckeye last season, and his substantial experience in that phase of the game will boost his chances of making an NFL roster a year from now.
Juniors to Watch
Jermaine Mathews Jr., CB
Mathews could very well join Ohio State’s group of early-round prospects for the 2026 draft if he performs up to expectations in 2025. While it’s a bit premature to call him that now entering his first season as a full-time starter, Mathews has looked the part of a future NFL cornerback when he’s been called upon to play after the past two seasons.
He’ll have a decision to make after the 2025 season on whether he should enter the draft or stay for his senior year – as will Tate and Klare, and all the players below him on this list, with it likely being safe to assume Downs will go pro next year – but Mathews is likely the strongest candidate among Ohio State’s returning first-time starters to emerge as an early draft entrant.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., DE
While Jackson has two more years of eligibility, he is a senior academically, which could give him more reason to consider going pro next year if he has a big redshirt junior season.
At 6-foot-6 and 258 pounds, Jackson has the size, length and quickness that NFL teams covet at defensive end, and he’s expected to play a leading role in Ohio State’s edge rotation this year. Given that he has just three sacks in his first three years as a Buckeye, however, Jackson must have a breakout year as a pass rusher to legitimize himself as a 2026 draft prospect.
Beau Atkinson, DE
Atkinson, who will also be a redshirt junior in 2025 as he transfers to Ohio State following three years at North Carolina, has the most tape for NFL scouts to watch among the Buckeyes’ defensive ends entering the upcoming season. While it’s uncertain whether he views his transfer to Ohio State as a one-year move or a two-year move, he already showed NFL potential as a Tar Heel, recording 12 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks last year.
If he can duplicate that level of production against Big Ten competition at Ohio State, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive end will surely draw plenty of interest from the league whether he enters the draft in 2026 or 2027.
Arvell Reese, LB
Reese is another new starter on Ohio State’s defense who could quickly emerge as an NFL prospect in his junior season. He already showed he could be an impact player as Ohio State’s No. 3 linebacker last year, recording 43 tackles with 3.5 sacks in just 307 defensive snaps, and he certainly looks the part of a future NFL player with an explosive burst at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds.
Two years as a starting linebacker would likely give Reese the best chance to maximize his draft stock, but he was impressive enough as a role player last year that a standout junior season leading to an early NFL declaration can’t be ruled out.
Brandon Inniss, WR
Inniss is another junior who will be a first-time starter this season but could emerge as a candidate to enter the 2026 draft with a big third year as a Buckeye. After all, he was the highest-ranked recruit in Ohio State’s 2023 class – ahead of Tate, Mathews and Reese, among others – and he wouldn’t be the first slot receiver to emerge as a top prospect in his first year as a starter under Brian Hartline (see Jaxon Smith-Njigba).
Like Reese, Inniss’ best plan right now would probably be to play two more seasons at Ohio State to maximize his draft stock, as he doesn’t have a ton of film for scouts to watch yet. But with his combination of change-of-direction quickness, route-running ability, size and strength, he’s more than capable of emerging over the next two years as one of Hartline’s next protégés to go from Ohio State to the NFL.
