Ohio State lost five players to early NFL draft entries, but it appears the Buckeyes will retain seven draft-eligible starters.
There weren’t any big surprises among the Ohio State players who announced they would enter the 2026 NFL draft. While Ohio State would have loved to have Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese, Carnell Tate or Kayden McDonald back for another season, it would have come as a big surprise if any of them had stayed in school, given that all of them are projected first-round picks. Max Klare would have had more reason to play another season at Ohio State, as he isn’t projected to be a first-round pick, but there was always a thought that his transfer to OSU could be for just one year.