Another Buckeye is going to New Orleans.
The Saints signed former Ohio State defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. as an undrafted free agent on Sunday after he went unselected in the 2026 NFL draft.
Malone is the third member of the 2025 Buckeyes to become a Saint, joining fifth-round pick Lorenzo Styles Jr. and fellow undrafted free agent CJ Donaldson. They join a roster that already included three former Ohio State players: Chris Olave, Pete Werner and Chase Young.
Ohio State's 2026 NFL Draft Picks
- Carnell Tate: Round 1, No. 4, Tennessee Titans
- Arvell Reese: Round 1, No. 5, New York Giants
- Sonny Styles: Round 1, No. 7, Washington Commanders
- Caleb Downs: Round 1, No. 11, Dallas Cowboys
- Kayden McDonald: Round 2, No. 36, Houston Texans
- Max Klare: Round 2, No. 61, Los Angeles Rams
- Davison Igbinosun: Round 2, No. 62, Buffalo Bills
- Will Kacmarek: Round 3, No. 87, Miami Dolphins
- Lorenzo Styles Jr.: Round 5, No. 172, New Orleans Saints
- Caden Curry: Round 6, No. 214, Indianapolis Colts
- Ethan Onianwa: Round 7, No. 231, Atlanta Falcons
Malone heads to New Orleans after two years at Ole Miss, where he split time between football and baseball, and three seasons at Ohio State. It took three years for him to acclimate at Ohio State with his full focus on football, but three weeks into his redshirt senior season, he took over as the Buckeyes' starting three-technique defensive tackle.
Malone finished his final season with 26 tackles and two pass breakups. He'll need to increase his disruption to earn an NFL roster spot, however, after recording no tackles for loss in 2025.
Malone holds the rare distinction of winning a national championship in two different college sports, winning an NCAA baseball title at Ole Miss in 2022 and a football title with Ohio State as a backup defensive tackle in 2024.
The Buckeyes saw 11 players selected in the 2026 NFL draft, including four first-round selections and seven combined in the first two rounds: Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall, Titans), Arvell Reese (No. 5 overall, Giants), Sonny Styles (No. 7 overall, Commanders), Caleb Downs (No. 11 overall, Cowboys), Kayden McDonald (No. 36 overall, Texans), Max Klare (No. 61 overall, Rams), Davison Igbinosun (No. 62 overall, Bills), Will Kacmarek (No. 87 overall, Dolphins), Lorenzo Styles Jr. (No. 172 overall, Saints), Caden Curry (No. 214 overall, Colts) and Ethan Onianwa (No. 231 overall, Falcons). McDonald, Malone's running mate at defensive tackle when he started for Ohio State in 2025, became the third defensive tackle drafted from Columbus in the past two years, joining Tyleik Williams (Round 1, No. 28 overall, Lions) and Ty Hamilton (Round 5, No. 148, Rams) from the 2025 NFL draft.
