The Ohio State Buckeyes are an NFL talent factory. The program has produced the most first-round draft picks of any college ever (95). In 2024, they saw 14 players drafted from their national championship team, just one player shy of the single-season record set by the Georgia Bulldogs in 2022.
As Ryan Day’s squad looks to repeat their success on the field, with nine returning starters from last year’s team, including wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Smith, who’s coming off the back of a breakout season as a freshman, isn’t eligible to enter the draft until 2027. But, he still posed a bold prediction about his Buckeye teammates entering the 2026 draft.
The 19-year-old had high praise for a teammate of his in Columbus, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Smith believes he could end up going earlier than expected.
“This year he’s gonna turn it up a notch and ya’ll are gonna see a monster,” he said during his availability at Big Ten media day. “I seen it in high school. He could be a first-round draft pick.”
Jackson Jr. hasn’t seen too much playing time in his first three years at Ohio State. He’s recorded just 3.0 sacks in his career, 1.5 in each of the last two seasons. He still has two years of eligibility remaining, so declaring in 2026 is far from a guarantee. But a breakout season in 2025 could turn heads.
The Buckeyes already have a surefire first-rounder and likely top-ten selection on their defense in safety Caleb Downs, meaning if he’s right about Johnson Jr., Ryan Day could end up seeing multiple of his defenders come off the board in the first round.