April 24, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No football program has produced as many NFL Draft picks since the year 2000 than the Ohio State Buckeyes. A total of 82 Buckeyes have been drafted in the last 13 years and that number should grow, and possibly swell, in the next few days with as many as nine Buckeyes potential picks in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Among those 82 draft picks are 17 Buckeyes who were chosen in the first round, including 2011 pick Cameron Heyward, by Pittsburgh. Only two teams can top Ohio State’s number of first-rounders since 2000: Miami and USC.
NFL Draft by the Numbers
Since 2000; Source: NFL.com
Most Draft Picks
| 1. | Ohio State | 82 |
| 2. | Miami | 81 |
| 3. | USC | 80 |
| 4. | Georgia | 75 |
| 5. | Florida State | 66 |
| LSU | 66 | |
| 7. | Florida | 65 |
| 8. | Tennessee | 63 |
| 9. | Oklahoma | 60 |
| 10. | Virginia Tech | 58 |
Also: Wisconsin 57, Alabama 55, Michigan 54, Texas 52, Iowa 51, Penn State 50
Most First-Round Draft Picks
| 1. | Miami | 26 |
| 2. | USC | 18 |
| 3. | Ohio State | 17 |
| 4. | Florida State | 15 |
| 5. | Texas | 14 |
| 6. | Florida | 13 |
| Alabama | 13 | |
| 9. | Oklahoma | 12 |
| Tennessee | 12 | |
| LSU | 12 |
Also: Wisconsin 11, Georgia 11, Penn State 10, Michigan 9
Buckeyes on the Board
Ohio State has had 327 players chosen in the NFL Draft, according to NFL.com, and three down linemen – defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, offensive tackle Reid Fragel and defensive end/outside linebacker John Simon – are expected to be among the first Buckeyes chosen in this year’s draft.
Six more stalwarts from the 2012 Ohio State team that finished as the only unbeaten team in the nation at 12-0 could hear his name called this weekend as well, including fullback Zach Boren, defensive lineman Garrett Goebel, cornerback Travis Howard, safety Orhian Johnson, tight end Jake Stoneburner and defensive end Nathan Williams.
Five-or-More Drafted 26 Times
Ohio State has had five or more players selected in the NFL Draft 26 times in its history, including a school-record 14 players selected in 2004 with Will Smith (New Orleans), Chris Gamble (Carolina) and Michael Jenkins (Atlanta) all No. 1 picks that year.
On two occasions 13 Buckeyes were chosen in the draft. In 1975 first-round picks Kurt Schumacher (New Orleans), Doug France (Los Angeles) and Neal Colzie (Oakland) led the Buckeye charge. And in 1971 four first-round picks – John Brockington (Green Bay), Jack Tatum (Oakland), Tim Anderson (San Francisco) and Leo Hayden (Minnesota) – were part of a 13-man draft class.
In 2006 a school-record five Buckeyes were first-round picks: A.J. Hawk (Green Bay), Donte Whitner (Buffalo), Bobby Carpenter (Dallas), Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh) and Nick Mangold (New York Jets).
Some memorable Ohio State drafts…
2009 – CB Malcolm Jenkins (1st round, New Orleans), RB Chris “Beanie” Wells (1st, Arizona), LB James Laurinaitis (2nd, St. Louis), WR Brian Robiskie (2nd, Cleveland), DB Donald Washington (4th, Kansas City), WR Brian Hartline (4th, Miami), LB Marcus Freeman (5th, Chicago). Note: Five of the six were in the NFL in 2012.
2006 – LB A.J. Hawk (1st round, Green Bay), SAF Donte Whitner (1st, Buffalo), LB Bobby Carpenter (1st, Dallas), WR Santonio Holmes (1st, Pittsburgh), C Nick Mangold (1st, New York Jets), CB Ashton Youboty (3rd, Buffalo), LB Anthony Schlegel (3rd, New York Jets), DB Nate Salley (4th, Carolina), OG Rob Sims (4th, Seattle). Note: Record number of first-round picks.
2004 – DE Will Smith (1st round, New Orleans), CB Chris Gamble (1st round, Carolina), WR Michael Jenkins (1st round, Atlanta), TE Ben Hartsock (3rd, Indianapolis), DT Tim Anderson (3rd, Buffalo), P B.J. Sander (3rd, Green Bay), DE Darrion Scott (3rd, Minnesota), C Alex Stepanovich (4th, Arizona), SAF Will Allen (4th, Tampa Bay, QB Craig Krenzel (5th, Chicago), WR Drew Carter (4th, Carolina), LB Rob Reynolds (5th, Tennessee), OT Shane Olivea (7th, San Diego) and OG Adrien Clarke (7th, Philadelphia). Note: Record number of draft picks.
1997 – OT Orlando Pace (1st round, St. Louis), CB Shawn Springs (1st, Seattle), SAF Rob Kelly (2nd, New Orleans), CB Ty Howard (3rd, Arizona), DE Mike Vrabel (3rd, Pittsburgh), FB Nicky Sualua (4th, Dallas), DT Matt Finkes (6th, Carolina). Notes: Pace is overall No. 1, Springs is overall No. 3 and Vrabel played 14 years in the league, started 140 games and was part of three Super Bowl winning teams.
1996 – WR Terry Glenn (1st round, New England), TE Rickey Dudley (1st, Oakland), RB Eddie George (1st, Tennessee), QB Bobby Hoying (3rd, Philadelphia). Note: Ohio State had three of the first 14 picks in the draft.
1971 – RB John Brockington (1st round, Green Bay), DB Jack Tatum (1st, Oakland), DB Tim Anderson (1st, San Francisco), RB Leo Hayden (1st, Minnesota), TE Jan White (2nd, Buffalo), DT Jim Stillwagon (5th, Green Bay), LB Doug Adams (7th, Denver), DB Mike Sensibaugh (8th, Kansas City), HB Larry Zelina (8th, Cleveland), WR Bruce Jankowski (10th, Kansas City), QB Rex Kern (10th, Baltimore), QB Ron Maciejowski (15th, Chicago), DE Mark Debevc (16th, Cincinnati). Note: A total of 442 players were drafted during this 17-round draft.
Ohio State: No. 2 in No. 1s
Ohio State has produced more first-round NFL draft picks than all but one school. According to NFL.com, the Buckeyes have 66 NFL first-round draft picks to trail only USC (73) among all college football programs.
The Buckeyes, in fact, have produced 71 first-round picks when you add in five individuals who were first-round draft picks into the American Football League (AFL) between 1960-69. The AFL and the NFL started holding a combined draft in 1967.
Three No. 1s
Three Buckeyes have been selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft: linebacker Tom Cousineau in 1979 by Buffalo; defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson in 1994 by Cincinnati; and offensive lineman Orlando Pace in 1997 by St. Louis.
Ohio State
First-Round Draft Picks – 71
| Year | Name (Pos.) – Team |
| 1938 | James McDonald (HB) – Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1941 | Don Scott (B) – Chicago Bears |
| 1950 | Fred Morrison (B) – Chicago Bears |
| 1956 | Howard Cassady (B) – Detroit Lions |
| 1957 | Jim Parker (T) – Baltimore Colts |
| 1959 | Don Clark (B) – Chicago Bears |
| 1959 | Dan James (C) – San Francisco 49ers |
| 1960 | Birtho Arnold (OL) – Buffalo Bills* |
| 1960 | James Houston (E) – Buffalo Bills* |
| 1960 | Bob White (FB) – Houston Oilers* |
| 1961 | Tom Matte (HB) – Baltimore Colts |
| 1962 | Bob Ferguson (FB) – Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1963 | Daryl Sanders (T) – Detroit Lions |
| 1963 | Bob Vogel (T) – Baltimore Colts |
| 1964 | Paul Warfield (WR) – Cleveland Browns |
| 1964 | Matt Snell (FB) – New York Jets* |
| 1965 | Jim Davidson (T) – Buffalo Bills* |
| 1969 | Dave Foley (T) – New York Jets |
| 1969 | Rufus Mayes (T) – Chicago Bears |
| 1971 | Tim Anderson (CB) – San Francisco 49ers |
| 1971 | John Brockington (RB) – Green Bay Packers |
| 1971 | Leo Hayden (RB) – Minnesota Vikings |
| 1971 | Jack Tatum (DB) – Oakland Raiders |
| 1974 | Rick Middleton (LB) – New Orleans Saints |
| 1974 | Randy Gradishar (LB) – Denver Broncos |
| 1974 | John Hicks (G) – New York Giants |
| 1975 | Neal Colzie (DB) – Oakland Raiders |
| 1975 | Doug France (T) – Los Angeles Rams |
| 1975 | Kurt Schumacher (G) – New Orleans Saints |
| 1976 | Tim Fox (DB) – New England Patriots |
| 1976 | Archie Griffin (RB) – Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1977 | Bob Brudzinski (LB) – Los Angeles Rams |
| 1978 | Chris Ward (T) – New York Jets |
| 1979 | (1) Tom Cousineau (LB) – Buffalo Bills |
| 1982 | Art Schlichter (QB) – Baltimore Colts |
| 1984 | William Roberts (T) – New York Giants |
| 1985 | Jim Lachey (T) – San Diego Chargers |
| 1986 | Keith Byars (RB) – Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1988 | Eric Kumerow (DE) – Miami Dolphins |
| 1991 | Vinnie Clark (CB) – Green Bay Packers |
| 1992 | Alonzo Spellman (DT) – Chicago Bears |
| 1993 | Robert Smith (RB) – Minnesota Vikings |
| 1994 | (1) Dan Wilkinson (DL) – Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1995 | Joey Galloway (WR) – Seattle Seahawks |
| 1995 | Korey Stringer (T) – Minnesota Vikings |
| 1995 | Craig Powell (LB) – Cleveland Browns |
| 1996 | Rickey Dudley (TE) – Oakland Raiders |
| 1996 | Eddie George (RB) – Houston Oilers |
| 1996 | Terry Glenn (WR) – New England Patriots |
| 1997 | (1) Orlando Pace (OT) – St. Louis Rams |
| 1997 | Shawn Springs (CB) – Seattle Seahawks |
| 1999 | David Boston (SE) – Arizona Cardinals |
| 1999 | Antoine Winfield (CB) – Buffalo Bills |
| 1999 | Andy Katzenmoyer (LB – New England Patriots |
| 2000 | Ahmed Plummer (CB) – San Francisco 49ers |
| 2001 | Nate Clements (CB) – Buffalo Bills |
| 2001 | Ryan Pickett (DT) – St. Louis Rams |
| 2004 | Will Smith (DT) – New Orleans Saints |
| 2004 | Chris Gamble (DB) – Carolina Panthers |
| 2004 | Michael Jenkins (WR) – Atlanta Falcons |
| 2006 | A.J. Hawk (LB) – Green Bay Packers |
| 2006 | Donte Whitner (S) – Buffalo Bills |
| 2006 | Bobby Carpenter (LB) – Dallas Cowboys |
| 2006 | Santonio Holmes (WR) – Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2006 | Nick Mangold (C) – New York Jets |
| 2007 | Ted Ginn Jr. (WR) – Miami Dolphins |
| 2007 | Anthony Gonzalez (WR) – Indianapolis Colts |
| 2008 | Vernon Gholston (DE) – New York Jets |
| 2009 | Malcolm Jenkins (CB) – New Orleans Saints |
| 2009 | Chris Wells (RB) – Arizona Cardinals |
| 2011 | Cameron Heyward (DE) – Pittsburgh Steelers |
(1) First player selected in the draft. * AFL Team
