Ohio State Buckeyes’ former players, including Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Terry McLaulin, are already raking in a total of $475 million in NFL earnings. That factory has now churned out another massive payday, with four former Buckeyes from the latest draft class collectively landing over $150 million in contracts.
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Now, with this year’s NFL draft success, the head coach’s NFL pipeline has taken a huge step up in that regard after a total of 11 Buckeyes got drafted this year.
The Buckeyes’ draft-day dominance was immediately apparent as four players landed in the top 11 picks. The run started with Carnell Tate going 4th overall to the Tennessee Titans on a reported $48.7 million deal, followed quickly by Arvell Reese to the Giants at No. 5 ($45.6 million) and Sonny Styles to the Commanders at No. 7 ($35.5 million). The Dallas Cowboys rounded out the early haul by selecting Caleb Downs at 11th overall. Add Downs’ $27.7 million contract to the three top-10 picks, and the four OSU players have resulted in a total of $150 million in contract earnings from the first round alone.
While the first-rounders accounted for over $150 million, the Buckeyes’ financial haul continued into the second round. The Houston Texans selected Kayden McDonald at 36th overall, signing him to a reported $13.04 million deal, while both Max Klare (Rams) and Davison Igbinosun (Broncos) also heard their names called before the round concluded.
The program’s depth was on full display throughout the draft’s final two days, with players like TE Will Kacmarek (Dolphins, third round), Lorenzo Styles (Saints, fifth round), Caden Curry (Colts, sixth round), and OT Ethan Onianwa (Falcons, seventh round) all securing spots on NFL rosters. Combining the salaries of the non-first-round players, Ohio State players will roughly take home $200 million combined through their NFL rookie contracts this year. But that’s not the only thing unprecedented for the Columbus program.
A combined $157.5M between the four former Buckeyes 🤑💰
This year’s draft class cemented Ryan Day’s legacy as an elite NFL talent pipeline. The performance put Ohio State in rare company, joining Alabama as the only school with seven or more picks in the first two rounds—a feat Day has now accomplished twice (2025, 2026). The class also made history by producing the first-ever trio of defensive players from one school in the top 11 picks, while the selections of tight ends Max Klare and Will Kacmarek marked another program first.
“When you’re coming to Ohio State, you’re coming to be a first or second rounder, regardless of your position, and that’s it,” Ryan Day said about the program’s NFL potential on April 12. “Just like if we don’t win games and championships, they’re going to find a new coach. If you’re not a first- or second-round pick, then this probably isn’t the right place for you—that’s just the reality of it.”
It was the first time for Ohio State to send two of its tight ends to the pros through the NFL draft. The last time the feat happened, it was for Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant (both first-round picks) in 2019.
Ryan Day cautions 10 NFL teams
Ryan Day’s Ohio State had 14 total NFL draft selections last year. Naturally, he was hoping to take it a notch by seeing his four players selected in the top 10. If that had happened, OSU would have become the first team ever to execute the feat. But Caleb Downs slipped to 11th, even though prominent NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. expected him to go before the 11th pick. Ryan Day thinks the 10 NFL teams made a mistake by underplaying Downs’ potential.
“Some guys came off the board in front of somebody like Caleb Downs. It just kind of makes you think, I wonder where they’re going to be in five to ten years, looking back on this draft, and if they have any regrets,” Day said in an interview on April 24. “But I know the Cowboys got a great one…I don’t think there was any doubt that he is a generational player. Talking to different clubs, the feedback we’ve got in his interviews, and his production on the field.”
Downs slipped primarily because he was considered the third-best defensive player for OSU behind Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. But when the Jets decided to take David Bailey instead of Reese, the rest of the OSU players automatically slid down, and with it, Caleb Downs. It wasn’t because teams didn’t value Downs, but they had varying needs.
