GREEN BAY, Wis. (WCMH) — The final day of the NFL Draft saw Ohio State tie a school record with a total of 14 Buckeyes taken in this year’s edition, including seven on Saturday.
The last time OSU sent 14 to the NFL was in 2004. It’s also the fifth time since the seven-round format started in 1994 that Ohio State has had ten or more players picked. The Buckeyes also tied its own Big Ten conference record for most picks in one draft.
Among the high-profile picks from the Buckeyes, Jack Sawyer and Will Howard will remain teammates after both were chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sawyer, a Pickerington native, was taken in the fourth round as the 123rd overall pick while Howard, who hails from Downingtown, Pa., will stay in the Keystone State after getting chosen in the sixth round as the 185th overall selection.
Linebacker Cody Simon and cornerback Denzel Burke will also remain teammates after both were selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. Simon was the first Buckeye chosen on day three.
Among other Buckeye selections, safety Lathan Ransom was picked 122nd overall by the Carolina Panthers, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton was taken by the Los Angeles Rams as the 148th overall pick, and cornerback Jordan Hancock was selected by the Buffalo Bills as the 170th overall pick. It’s the first time ever that Ohio State saw four defensive lineman chosen in one draft.
Elsewhere, quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ continued slide came to an end Saturday. Despite being projected to be among the top picks, the Colorado QB ended up getting drafted in the fifth round when the Cleveland Browns traded up to nab Sanders as the 144th overall pick.
Following the draft, center Seth McLaughlin signed a free agent deal with the Bengals.
Going into day three, seven Ohio State players from the 2024 national championship team were taken. Four Buckeyes were drafted on Thursday night in the first round for the first time in nine years while three were taken on Friday in the second round.
Despite the lack of emphasis on these later rounds, plenty of players picked this late have become NFL legends. None is more notable than Tom Brady, who was the 199th overall selection 25 years ago.
Ohio State players drafted
- R1: P19 – WR Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- R1: P24 – OG Donovan Jackson (Minnesota Vikings)
- R1: P28 – DT Tyleik Williams (Detroit Lions)
- R1: P32 – OT Josh Simmons (Kansas City Chiefs)
- R2: P36 – RB Quinshon Judkins (Cleveland Browns)
- R2: P38 – RB TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots)
- R2: P45 – DE JT Tuimoloau (Indianapolis Colts)
- R4: P115 – LB Cody Simon (Arizona Cardinals)
- R4: P122 – SAF Lathan Ransom (Carolina Panthers)
- R4: P123 – LB Jack Sawyer (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- R5: P148 – DT Ty Hamilton (Los Angeles Rams)
- R5: P170 – CB Jordan Hancock (Buffalo Bills)
- R5: P174 – CB Denzel Burke (Arizona Cardinals)
- R6: P185 – QB Will Howard (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Scroll below to see how day three of the 2025 NFL Draft unfolded.
No. 193: Bengals choose Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks
The Bengals chose a running back in the sixth round by drafting Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks. He holds the school record for most career rushing yards (4,557) and career rushing atempts (879).
Cincinnati’s draft picks so far are as follows:
Round 1 (17): EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Round 2 (49): LB Demetrius Knight Jr., South Carolina
Round 3 (81): G Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
Round 4 (119): LB Barrett Carter, Clemson
Round 5 (153): OT Jalen Rivers, Miami
Round 6 (193): RB Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
No. 185: Steelers pick Buckeyes QB Will Howard
Ohio State’s national champion quarterback Will Howard is staying in Pennsylvania after the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Downingtown, PA native in the sixth round as the 185th overall pick. He joins his OSU teammate Jack Sawyer, who was taken by the Steelers in the fourth round.
Howard holds the record for most passing yards in a College Football Playoff. He becomes the 14th OSU player taken in this year’s draft, tying the school record for most taken in a single draft, and seventh of the day. Ohio State is just one pick away from tying the record for most players taken from a single school.
No. 181: Former Buckeye QB Kyle McCord selected by the Eagles
Syracuse quarterback and former Buckeye Kyle McCord was taken off the board in the sixth round by the defending Super Bowl champions, Philadelphia Eagles.
McCord started all 12 regular season games for Ohio State in 2023 before transferring to the Orange. Last season, he threw for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
No. 174: Cardinals select Ohio State CB Denzel Burke
For the second time today, the Arizona Cardinals have chosen a Buckeye, taking cornerback Denzel Burke in the fifth round with the 174th overall pick.
Burke was named to the all-Big Ten first team in 2023 and has earned two third-team selections.
Earlier Saturday, the Cardinals chose inside linebacker Cody Simon. Burke becomes the 13th Buckeye to be taken off the board in this year’s draft.
No. 170: Bills select Ohio State CB Jordan Hancock
For the fifth time today, a Buckeye is off the board. In the fifth round, the Buffalo Bills chose cornerback Jordan Hancock with the 170th overall pick.
Hancock played in seven postseason games for Ohio State over four seasons.
He’s the 12th Ohio State player to get taken in this year’s draft. The Buckeyes need three more players to be chosen to tie the record for most picks by a single school, held by Georgia in 2022.
No. 148: LA Rams select Ohio State DT Ty Hamilton
The Bears traded their pick to the Rams, who chose Ohio State defensive tackle Ty Hamilton, becoming the 11th Buckeye drafted this year and the fourth of the day.
Hamilton set career highs in tackles, sacks and forced fumbles during OSU’s championship season.
The NFL runs in Ty Hamilton’s family. His brother DaVon plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars after getting drafted in the third round in 2020.
No. 144: Browns trade up to snag Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Shedeur Sanders’ wait finally has ended.
The Cleveland Browns selected the Colorado quarterback and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick in the NFL draft on Saturday. That ended a stunning fall for Sanders, the most recognizable player in this draft class after his attention-getting college career.
Draft forecasts generally rated Sanders behind only Miami’s Cam Ward – who went first overall to the Tennessee Titans – among quarterbacks in this class. Five quarterbacks were taken before him instead, with one of them going to Cleveland when the Browns picked Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
The uncertainty surrounding the Colorado star is the dominant story in this draft. Sanders didn’t get taken in the first round Thursday. Nor was he chosen in the second and third rounds Friday.
Sanders now is suddenly part of a crowded Browns quarterback room as Deshaun Watson sits out the upcoming season with a torn Achilles tendon. Sanders and Gabriel join Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Joe Flacco.
No. 123: Pittsburgh Steelers draft Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer
The third Buckeye pick of day three is linebacker Jack Sawyer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Pickerington native is best known for his scoop and score that he made in the fourth quarter against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, helping to send Ohio State to the national championship game. Sawyer becomes the tenth OSU player taken in this year’s draft.
.
No. 122: Carolina Panthers take Buckeye Lathan Ransom
The second Buckeye pick of day three is safety Lathan Ransom for the Carolina Panthers. The OSU safety was named to the first-team all-Big Ten last year.
Ransom becomes the ninth Buckeye taken off the board in this year’s draft. He joins a Panthers secondary that inclujdes Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott and Demani Richardson.
No. 115: Arizona Cardinals draft Ohio State’s Cody Simon
The first Buckeye pick of day three is linebacker Cody Simon for the Arizona Cardinals.
Simon was named the defensive MVP in the CFP national championship win against Notre Dame, finishing last season as the leading tackler with 112, including 12.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
This marks the third straight draft that the Cardinals have chosen a Buckeye. Simon joins a squad that includes last year’s first round pick, receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. as well as former OSU assistant Justin Frye, who joined the Cardinals as their offensive line coach during the offseason.
