Insider notes on Ryan Day's Ohio State: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, and more

After losing to the Michigan Wolverines for the fourth time in as many years, the Ohio State Buckeyes pulled it together and won the national title in convincing fashion last season. The program has always impacted the college field as well as NFL draft, and that tradition will certainly continue next April.

The Buckeyes have placed a player in the first round of the draft each of the past 10 years. They not only have a prospect expected to be selected in the early part of Round 1 in 2026, but Ohio State could also have the best player in the draft.

Caleb Downs made an immediate impact for the Buckeyes last season after transferring from Alabama. He’s an athletic safety with a complete game. Downs has great instincts and movement skills and is terrific in coverage as well as defending the run. His tackle for loss against Texas late in last season’s college football semifinals eventually ensured the Buckeyes a trip to the title game and eventually the championship. Downs is a great combination of physical skill, football intuition and playmaking ability. He is already rated by scouts at the top NFL prospect heading towards the 2025 season, and deservedly so. He is a safety though, and it’s unusual for a player at that position to be a top-three pick in the draft. Barring injury, I would be willing to make an exception for Downs, he’s that good.

Ohio State has a great lineage of receivers moving from the program to the NFL, and at least one Ohio State wideout broke into the first round in each of the past four drafts; Carnell Tate could make it five years in a row. The junior was the No. 3 wideout last season behind Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, who was taken by Tampa Bay with the 19th pick of the draft in April. Tate now slides into the No. 2 role after Smith, and more is expected of him this year. Tate is a tall wideout with sure, dependable hands. He displays great focus as well as concentration and came up big for the Buckeyes down the stretch last season. Scouts I’ve spoken with that grade juniors stamped Tate as a third-round prospect, yet I believe he’s much better than that.

The Buckeyes’ entire defensive line was drafted into the NFL last April, and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. now becomes the focus of attention. Yet despite being a backup at Ohio State last season and collecting just 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks, scouts still grade Jackson as a potential top-75 prospect. He’s an athletic defender with size, growth potential and upside. Jackson showed a lot of flashes on the field last season, but he is expected to turn in full-time production this season.

Purdue transfer Max Klare comes off a breakout season in 2025, when he caught 51 passes for 685 yards in a tepid Boilermakers passing game that was near the bottom in the Big Ten. He’s an athletic playmaker who stretches the field and catches the ball with proper fundamentals. In essence, Klare plays the tight end position like a receiver. And while he’s not a bad blocker, it’s not his forte. Scouts are excited to see how Klare does in a pro-style passing attack, and many I spoke with believe he’s a second-round talent; yet after breaking down the film, I gave him a third-round grade.

Former safety Sonny Styles made a smooth transition to linebacker last season and showed ability in all facets of the position. He’s solid in coverage, defends the run well and really stands out in pursuit. Styles was also effective on the blitz in 2024. He possesses terrific size as well as speed and could eventually move into the draft’s initial 60 picks.

Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa will be counted on to hold down the left tackle spot after the Buckeyes graduated a pair of first-round picks, Josh Simmons and Donovan Jackson, who held down the position last year. Onianwa is a lot like Simmons, as he’s a pass protector first who displays excellent range and footwork off the edge. He struggled finishing run blocks in the American Athletic Conference, and that task will be much more difficult in the Big Ten this season. Scouts grade Onianwa as late as a sixth-round prospect to as early as the second round. I split the difference, as I like Onianwa’s pass-protection skills but feel he needs to significantly improve his run blocking.

Edited by Tony Pauline