Ohio State football: The importance of each Buckeye drafted in April

The Ohio State Buckeyes made their presence known in the 2018 NFL Draft once again as seven players were selected. This includes two in the first round.

For the second consecutive year, the Ohio State football team has developed seven players to play in the NFL via the draft. The Buckeyes have been long known as an organization which flips talented athletes into professional players but this type of consistency is unheard of. There haven’t been less than seven Buckeyes drafted since 2015.

The Buckeyes aren’t just supplying the NFL with depth though, they are providing the league with some of its biggest stars. In the last few years alone, the NFL has seen former Buckeyes transform from college play-makers to NFL superstars. Players like Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, Taylor Decker, and many more have made huge impacts in the NFL.

Ohio State has been at or near the top of the line in terms of players drafted each season, especially in the last few years. The Urban Meyer era in Columbus is certainly a major reason for this rise in quality pro-ready athletes by the dozen.

At this point, NFL teams can trust that any player they draft from Ohio State will not be a bust. Whether it be a top-five pick in the first round or a lower pick after the fourth round, every former Buckeye is almost guaranteed to provide some return on his value.