Skull Session: Carnell Tate Headlines a Chaotic First Round of the NFL Draft, ESPN Compares Five-Star Ohio State Commit DJ Jacobs to Chase Young

By Chase Brown on April 24, 2026 at 4:55 am
Carnell Tate
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

News out of Bloomington, Indiana: the Hoosiers will have a Red Out when IU hosts Ohio State in a Big Ten Championship Game rematch on Oct. 17:

Have a good Friday.

 HOO BOY, THAT WAS A DOOZIE. Man, the first round of the NFL draft was absolute chaos.

After months of speculation that Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles would be the first Buckeye off the board in 2026, it was Carnell Tate who stole the spotlight, going No. 4 overall to the Tennessee Titans and opening the floodgates. Reese and Styles followed close behind, with the standout linebackers landing at No. 5 to the New York Giants and No. 7 to the Washington Commanders.

And then there was Caleb Downs — the best player in the entire draft — somehow slipping to No. 11, where Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys were more than happy to scoop him up and make him the next star of America's Team.

Once Downs came off the board, Dan Hope, Andy Anders and I finally caught our breath — and kept it the rest of the night as Kayden McDonald didn’t hear his name called Thursday. Had he been selected, Ohio State would have had five first-round picks and become the first program in college football history to reach 100 all-time. Alas, that milestone will have to wait another year.

Let's run it back Friday and Saturday!

 FUTUREEEEEE. Just a few more days. Just a few more days, and then we can move on from the NFL draft — that is, until analysts release their 2027 mocks with Jeremiah Smith as the No. 1 overall pick. Then we’ll have to come back to this never-ending well of content.

Still, with the first round now complete, we can look to the futureeeee of the Ohio State football program in 2027, when five-star defensive end David Jacobs arrives on campus.

The No. 1 defensive end and No. 4 overall prospect in the 2027 class, Jacobs committed to Ohio State on Dec. 29, 2025. The Roswell, Georgia, native picked the Buckeyes over Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and Miami.

This week, ESPN’s Craig Haubert, Eli Lederman and Tom Luginbill discussed how each 2027 five-star prospect will fit in at their next school. Their “Scout’s Take” on Jacobs caught my attention, and I’m sure it will catch yours, too.

“At 6-foot-5 with elite length, Jacobs brings a profile that invites comparison to former Buckeyes star Chase Young,” Haubert wrote.

I’m listening…

“Jacobs stands out with his ability to fire off the ball with an explosive first step and has the potential to wreak havoc as an edge rusher,” Haubert continued. “He can continue to improve his flexibility, but despite his lean, rangy frame, Jacobs has heavy hands and good power and that will only continue to improve as he further physically matures. He also can cover ground in pursuit and plays with a relentless motor. 

“A quiet, focused player, his desire to get better and maximize his tools came across during in-person evaluations as well, which is a good sign for long-term success. Comparing him to Young, is a high bar but Jacobs possesses the combination of length, burst and range to develop into an equally impactful type player in Columbus.”

A message to Ryan Day: Throw Jacobs in No. 2 after Kenyatta Jackson Jr. graduates, and let’s see how accurate the comparisons are. Cool? Cool.

 “THAT OFFENSE SHOULD BE SPECTACULAR.” Ahead of the NFL draft, Eleven Warriors editor Dan Hope caught up with Joel Klatt and asked the Fox Sports analyst what he expects from Ohio State in 2026.

“Win a national championship, beat Michigan, win the Big Ten. That’s the expectation every year,” Klatt said. “I joke with Ryan (Day) all the time. I’m like, ‘Alright, all you got to do is go undefeated.’ Because that’s the expectation.”

Klatt stopped short of predicting perfection, but not by much.

“I think they’re going to have a team — I mean, maybe not go undefeated, that’s very difficult — but they’re going to have a team that’s going to compete at the highest level of college football again. I think it’ll move from a team that was very defensive-oriented with the best defense in college football that’s bit more offensive-oriented. Not that their defense won’t be good, but that offense should be spectacular.”

That confidence starts with Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin and Bo Jackson returning for another season, along with the expectation that a more experienced offensive line takes a step forward.

Klatt also pointed to what held Ohio State back in 2025.

“Their biggest Achilles heel (in 2025) was that they were not great in short yardage,” Klatt said. “And then their quarterback didn’t have the experience necessary in the crucial moments late in the season and the playoff and the Big Ten Championship Game to make the plays necessary to win. (Former Indiana quarterback) Fernando Mendoza had that experience. He beat them. And then obviously in that Miami game, (Sayin’s) pick-six is ultimately what buried them.”

As for the Buckeyes’ biggest challenger, Klatt didn’t hesitate.

“I don’t think you can have a top competition in the Big Ten conversation without Indiana. You just can’t,” he said. “Last year solidified that because we all underestimated Indiana. They did it for one year. They might be OK, but they’re going to do it again. They come out, and they go undefeated and go 16-0.”

Klatt believes the Hoosiers are built to sustain that success, particularly with TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover stepping in.

“They’re going to be very good,” Klatt said. “Josh Hoover threw the second-most RPO passes in college football, and No. 1 on that list was Fernando Mendoza. They got a guy who knows exactly what to do in that scenario. They got some really solid transfers. If they can maintain that culture, which is a question, but maintain their culture, they’ll be right there. But I think three of the top four teams in the nation are in the Big Ten with Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana. I think the other team you would throw in there is Georgia.”

 EMEKA THE PROPHET. Speaking of the futureeeeee, Emeka Egbuka might’ve seen it coming last November.

On Wednesday, Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily, announced the arrival of their second child — a boy named Maverick Thorne Mayfield, born April 16. Thanks to a social media post from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ creative team this week, we learned Egbuka may have helped inspire the name months earlier.

“You’ve got to give him something for ESPN so that when he gets drafted…” former Oregon and current Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson said in the video.

“Maverick,” Egbuka replied.

“That ain’t no dawg name,” Johnson shot back.

“Maverick Mayfield,” Egbuka said, doubling down. “Just call him Mav.”

Johnson then reconsidered.

“That’s low-key hard,” he admitted. “You be coming up with something.”

Five months later, Maverick Mayfield is here.

Does this make Egbuka a prophet? He’s no judge, king or priest, so who’s to say? Whatever he is, one thing’s certain: Egbuka is a darn good wide receiver.

 ROUND 1 RECAP. Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope and George Eisner went live after the first round of the draft on Thursday night to share their reactions to a big night for the Buckeyes, including why the Dallas Cowboys got the coup of the draft by landing Caleb Downs outside the top 10 and why Kayden McDonald should have been a first-round pick.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Renegade" - Styx.

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