In terms of total NFL draft selections, Ohio State’s last three drafts can be considered underwhelming by program standards. That should change in a big way next year.
While Ohio State had at least seven players selected every year from 2016-21, including three drafts with double-digit draft picks, it had just four draft picks this year after just six draftees in each of 2022 and 2023. The Buckeyes have still had plenty to celebrate in each of those years, as the last three drafts have included six total first-round picks from Ohio State, but their overall draftee totals have been smaller than expected.
Looking ahead to 2025, though, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which the Buckeyes don’t have a larger draft class next year.
There’s already chatter that Ohio State could break the record for most selections in a single NFL draft next year, which might be an ambitious forecast. While early draft projections tend to operate under the assumption that most, if not all, Ohio State starters will be drafted, some of Ohio State’s draft-eligible starters have work to do to get picked. Most of them will need to get there if Ohio State is to break Georgia’s record of 16 draft picks from 2022.
That said, Ohio State should be a lock to have at least seven or eight draft picks next year, and there’s a clear path to double-digit draft picks. A lot needs to go right for Ohio State to have a record-breaking draft class, but it’s certainly not out of the question that Ohio State could challenge its school record of 14 draft picks from 2004, and the Buckeyes would surely love to hit that number to top Michigan’s school-record total of 13 draft picks this year.
While Ohio State’s draft classes for the past three years – especially this year – have been smaller partly because of players choosing to stay in school, most of Ohio State’s top prospects for 2025 are entering their final year of eligibility. The members of the 2021 recruiting class didn’t get the extra year of eligibility that their predecessors got due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so players in that class who haven’t redshirted won’t have the option of returning for another year in 2025.
In that group alone, Ohio State has eight players who are safe bets to be drafted. No one currently projects as a top-five overall pick like Marvin Harrison Jr. this year or C.J. Stroud last year, but cornerback Denzel Burke, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau and running back TreVeyon Henderson are all locks to be drafted with the potential to be first-round picks. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, guard Donovan Jackson and cornerback Jordan Hancock should all be drafted, too, and could be early-round picks with strong senior seasons.
TreVeyon Henderson and Jack Sawyer are among Ohio State’s probable early-round draft picks in 2025.
Ohio State’s seven projected fifth-year senior starters are more borderline in terms of their draft projections, and how many of them get drafted will ultimately determine whether OSU has a real chance at a record-setting draft class in 2025.
Safety Lathan Ransom will enter the season as the top draft prospect from that group, likely projecting as a middle-to-late-round pick. Fellow defensive starters Ty Hamilton and Cody Simon have both flashed enough ability to be future NFL players, but they’ll need to prove they can play at that level consistently as they become full-time starters for the first time in 2024.
Offensive linemen Seth McLaughlin and Josh Fryar will need to elevate their games this season to become NFL draft picks in 2025. So too will tight end Gee Scott Jr., who needs to be both more productive as a receiver and better as a blocker to get himself drafted.
Quarterback Will Howard could be the wild card of Ohio State’s draft class. There have been plenty of examples of fifth-year senior quarterbacks soaring up draft boards in recent years, and the 2025 quarterback draft class doesn’t look likely to be nearly as strong as the 2024 quarterback draft class. But Howard hasn’t even locked down Ohio State’s starting quarterback job yet, and he’ll need to show improvement as a passer this season to ensure he gets drafted at all.
Perhaps the most exciting element of the Buckeyes’ 2025 draft class for Ohio State fans is that Ohio State could have a huge draft class even without any early entrants. With so many seniors likely to start this season, Ohio State’s junior class doesn’t include a lot of obvious candidates to enter the NFL draft after just three years.
The two who look like the likeliest candidates to do so are the two who started their careers at Ole Miss: Running back Quinshon Judkins and cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Judkins is already projected as an early-round pick, and Igbinosun has the physical makeup to get there if he can take another step in coverage this season. Both of them have already been starters at the collegiate level for two years, so it wouldn’t come as any surprise if they choose to go pro after their junior seasons.
New Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins is a candidate to be a 2025 NFL draft pick after his junior season.
Left tackle Josh Simmons is a senior academically but still has a redshirt year available, so he’ll have to decide whether to use his fifth year of collegiate eligibility or enter the 2025 NFL draft. Like Fryar and McLaughlin, Simmons will need to play better this year than he did last year to get himself drafted, though his athleticism gives him more upside to make a big move up draft boards this year if he can become a more dominant blocker and cut down on penalties.
Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks, the two highest-rated prospects in Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class, each have the potential to be a breakout draft prospect this season at linebacker. Given that Styles is just moving to linebacker this offseason while Hicks has played sparingly in his first two seasons as a Buckeye, though, both of them might need two more collegiate seasons to maximize their draft stock.
Combining all of those players together, Ohio State should have at least 20 players on the radars of NFL teams as potential 2025 draft picks. If a majority of those players end up actually becoming draft picks, Ohio State will have one of its most prolific drafts ever next April.
