As Ryan Day was interviewed on both ESPN and NFL Network ahead of the first round of the 2026 NFL draft last week, he used the same opening line when asked for his thoughts on Ohio State’s draft class.
“I mean, the first thing I'm thinking is I wish they came back for their senior year,” Day said on ESPN, drawing laughs from the College GameDay panel.
Day had good reason to wish that. Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs were four of the draft’s top-11 picks – just the third time ever that four of the top 11 picks have come from one school – while Kayden McDonald, Max Klare and Davison Igbinosun were all drafted in Round 2. All of them except Styles and Igbinosun had an additional year of eligibility that they could have used to play for Ohio State.
They were joined in Ohio State’s draft class by four other seniors who were out of eligibility: Will Kacmarek, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Caden Curry and Ethan Onianwa. Among Ohio State’s 11 draft picks, all of them were starters who played major roles for Ohio State last season except for Onianwa, a backup offensive lineman.
As such, Ohio State faces the daunting task of having to replace double-digit NFL draft picks in its lineup for the second year in a row. The Buckeyes will rely on a combination of up-and-coming returning players, offseason transfer additions and potentially a true freshman or two to fill those gaps in their lineup.
With the 2026 NFL draft now complete and Ohio State gearing up for a new season without those 11 draft picks, we’re taking a look at who could replace each of those draft picks in the Buckeyes’ lineup this fall.
WR Carnell Tate: Chris Henry Jr., Devin McCuin and/or Kyle Parker
Henry is the obvious candidate to be a one-for-one replacement for Tate in Ohio State’s lineup. A five-star prospect with outstanding size (6-5, 195), hands and downfield playmaking ability (as he demonstrated in Ohio State’s spring game), Henry has the skill set to be the same kind of big-play deep threat opposite Jeremiah Smith that Tate was for the Buckeyes last year.
As great as Tate was, though, Ohio State’s plan for replacing the No. 4 overall pick isn’t solely built around finding the most comparable player. Part of the reason why Ohio State added McCuin and Parker via the transfer portal is that they’re looking to add more shiftiness and playmaking ability after the catch to their receiving corps. Both McCuin and Parker bring that to the offense, which could provide a different kind of complement to Smith for the Buckeyes. As such, at least one of them will likely rotate with Henry at the Z receiver position, giving the Buckeyes a variety of weapons that defenses have to account for.
LB Arvell Reese: Christian Alliegro
From what Alliegro said this spring to where he lined up in the spring game, all signs point toward Alliegro playing a similar role in Ohio State’s 2026 defense to that which Reese played in the Buckeyes’ 2025 defense. That means spending some of his time playing off the line of scrimmage as a Will linebacker while lining up on the edge and playing Sam linebacker in other situations, particularly in three-linebacker packages.
Alliegro shouldn’t be expected to become an All-American and top-five overall draft pick like Reese, but the Wisconsin transfer brings a track record of high-level play in the Big Ten, recording 53 tackles with eight tackles for loss and four sacks in 2025 despite breaking his arm midseason. The Buckeyes probably won’t rely solely on Alliegro to replace Reese – sophomores Riley Pettijohn and TJ Alford are also candidates to play significant snaps at Will linebacker – but he is in line to be a starting linebacker and play the most similar role to Reese of anyone on this year’s defense.
LB Sonny Styles: Payton Pierce
Pierce is in line to not only take over as Ohio State’s starting middle linebacker but also become one of the leaders of the Buckeyes’ defense, just as Styles was last year.
Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis has raved about Pierce since his freshman year and said Pierce found “his voice even more” this spring. Pierce saw regular playing time in three-linebacker sets last season and performed well, recording 43 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble in 263 defensive snaps.
He’s not quite the freak athlete that Styles is, but he’s a well-rounded linebacker who looks ready to lead the second level of Ohio State’s defense. All signs point toward Pierce being an every-down player for the Buckeyes in 2026.
S Caleb Downs: Jaylen McClain, Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore
As Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerrieri said this spring, the Buckeyes aren’t going to expect any one player to replace Downs by himself. Instead, they’ll be counting on all three of their starting safeties to do some of what Downs did for Ohio State the last two years to fill the massive shoes left behind by the two-time unanimous All-American.
McClain will be the new leader of Ohio State’s secondary and will spend more time manning the deep middle now that Downs is gone. Little’s versatility to play everywhere from the slot to in the box to deep safety will be utilized heavily to replace some of the roles Downs played in the defense. Moore projects as Downs’ direct replacement at free safety and has a history of moving all over the defense at Duke like Downs did for the Buckeyes.
Expecting any one Ohio State safety to be as elite this year as Downs was for the past two years would be a high bar to reach. But if Little and Moore can play as well as they did in their most recent seasons at Florida State and Duke, and McClain can build off his excellent first season as a starter for the Buckeyes, they have the talent as a collective trio for Ohio State to still be elite at the safety position.
DT Kayden McDonald: John Walker, Will Smith Jr. and/or James Smith
Outside of 360-pound freshman Jamir Perez, who will likely need a year to develop before playing a major role, Walker and Smith Jr. are the truest nose tackles on Ohio State’s 2026 roster. Neither of them is as big as the 326-pound McDonald, and it’s unlikely either will be a unanimous All-American this season like McDonald was last year, but they’re both capable of being solid run-stoppers for the Buckeyes in a likely rotation with each other.
While James Smith primarily played 3-technique at Alabama, he could also play some of his snaps at nose tackle if he and Eddrick Houston emerge as Ohio State’s top two defensive tackles, which looks like a distinct possibility. Smith has the size to play nose tackle at 6-foot-2 and 314 pounds and represents the highest-upside candidate to replicate the disruption that McDonald brought to that position last year, though he’ll have to prove he can be consistently relied upon to stuff the A-gap as McDonald did so well in 2025.
TE Max Klare: Nate Roberts and Hunter Welcing
Roberts is expected to be Ohio State’s top receiving and all-around tight end this season. While he caught only four passes for 30 yards as a freshman, most of his playing time in year one came as a fullback; he has the skill set to be an impactful weapon in the short and intermediate passing game for the Buckeyes, and he repped atop the tight end depth chart all spring.
That said, Welcing is also capable of replacing some of Klare’s value in the passing game after transferring in from Northwestern this offseason. The former Wildcat caught 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns in 2025 and projects to be one of Ohio State’s top two receiving tight ends alongside Roberts.
CB Davison Igbinsoun: Devin Sanchez
While at least a small step back in performance is likely from Ohio State’s replacements for most of its first- and second-round picks, this is one position where the Buckeyes could be even better. As good as Igbinosun was last season, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, Sanchez looked like a budding superstar this spring.
The top-ranked cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class locked down a starting job by shutting down Ohio State’s talented receivers in coverage during spring practice. After serving as Ohio State’s first cornerback off the bench as a true freshman, Sanchez will be a full-time starter opposite Jermaine Mathews Jr. this season and is one of the top candidates among OSU’s new starters to be a breakout star in 2026.
TE Will Kacmarek: Mason Williams
Ohio State replaced Kacmarek by bringing in another tight end transfer from Ohio University. Like Kacmarek, Williams is a highly graded blocker who will likely spend most of his time blocking for the Buckeyes; his receiving statistics over the past two years (45 catches for 487 yards and five touchdowns) were comparable to Kacmarek’s stats in two seasons at Ohio (42 catches for 507 yards and two touchdowns).
Bennett Christian, who’s seen regular playing time in two- and three-tight end packages as an extra blocker over the past two seasons, could also see increased playing time with Kacmarek gone. But Williams offers a little more value in the passing game and is a frontrunner to take Kacmarek’s spot as one of Ohio State’s top two tight ends as a result.
NB Lorenzo Styles Jr.: Earl Little Jr. (and Jermaine Mathews Jr.?)
Little is expected to take Styles’ spot in the lineup as Ohio State’s new nickelback this season, but how Ohio State utilizes him could look a little different than it did with Styles. While Styles started his Ohio State career as a cornerback before moving into a hybrid slot cornerback/safety role, Little comes to Ohio State with a safety background and is more equipped to play deep safety and/or line up in the box than he is to be a true slot corner.
Given that, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Mathews – who spent some time at nickel last season when Styles was sidelined by a shoulder injury – plays some snaps in the slot in three-cornerback lineups, especially after Dominick Kelly had a standout spring as Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback. Five-star freshman Jay Timmons is also a candidate to see immediate playing time at slot cornerback in nickel and/or dime packages.
DE Caden Curry: Beau Atkinson, Qua Russaw and/or Zion Grady
While Kenyatta Jackson Jr. returns as one starting defensive end, it’s unclear exiting spring who will replace Curry as Ohio State’s second starting DE.
Atkinson would be the most comparable replacement as a senior who already has significant playing experience, and he’s making a renewed push for a starting job this offseason after an impressive spring. But Russaw, who was a hybrid linebacker at Alabama but lined up at defensive end in his first 15 practices at Ohio State, also turned heads with his quickness off the edge this spring. And Grady is a talented sophomore who flashed star potential last year as a freshman.
Ohio State has leaned on its starting defensive ends to play most of the snaps over the last few seasons, so Larry Johnson will have to determine whether leaning primarily on one of them or rotating two or three of them gives the Buckeyes the best chance of replacing the production of Curry, who led Ohio State with 11 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season.
OT Ethan Onianwa: Ian Moore
Onianwa is the one draft pick that Ohio State doesn’t actually need to replace in the lineup, as Onianwa played just 96 snaps off the bench in his lone season as a Buckeye.
When Ohio State signed Onianwa out of the transfer portal, however, the plan was for the Rice transfer to be the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle. Onianwa’s struggles in preseason camp led Ohio State to move Austin Siereveld from right guard to left tackle.
The hope entering this season is that Moore can be what Onianwa couldn’t. If Moore builds off a strong spring and shows in preseason camp that he’s ready to be Ohio State’s starting left tackle, Siereveld could move back to right guard, giving the Buckeyes a big upgrade over 2024 and 2025 starter Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky this offseason. If not, the Buckeyes will need Gabe VanSickle or Joshua Padilla to step up as their new starting right guard.
