Despite playing sparingly in his one season at Ohio State, Ethan Onianwa was selected in the NFL draft.
The Atlanta Falcons selected Onianwa with the No. 231 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft. He is the 11th Buckeye selected in the 2026 NFL draft.
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
Onianwa, the only offensive lineman from Ohio State’s 2025 roster in the 2026 draft class, was expected to be the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle when he transferred to Ohio State from Rice after the 2024 season. Instead, Onianwa ended up playing just 96 snaps as a backup tackle and guard as he was beaten out by Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels for Ohio State’s starting tackle jobs.
Before Ohio State, however, Onianwa was a three-year starter at Rice, manning the right tackle position in 2022 and 2023 before moving to left tackle in 2024. He also had multiple opportunities to impress scouts during the pre-draft process as he participated in both the Senior Bowl and American Bowl, and impressed the Falcons enough to get drafted.
Certainly possessing NFL size at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds, Onianwa could potentially play either tackle or guard in the league after spending much of his time as a Buckeye on the interior.
He’s the fourth offensive player from Ohio State selected in the 2026 NFL draft, joining wide receiver Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall, Titans) and tight ends Max Klare (Round 2, No. 61, Rams) and Will Kacmarek (Round 3, No. 87, Dolphins).
