Four Buckeyes selected in first round of 2025 NFL Draft

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft has ended with the Kansas City Chiefs selecting Buckeyes offensive tackle Josh Simmons, the fourth Ohio State player taken in the first round.

Simmons was seen as one of the best tackles in this year’s class and was key in the Buckeyes’ national championship run. It is the first time since 2016 that at least four Ohio State players were drafted in a first round.

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles traded with the Kansas City Chiefs to swap the final two first round picks. With the 31st selection, Philly has taken linebacker Jihaad Campbell from Alabama.

Campbell recorded a fast 40-yard dash time of 4.52 seconds and was considered by some analysts as the best linebacker in the draft class. This could end up being a steal as Campbell slots into a strong defense aiming to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

AFC runners-up the Buffalo Bills have added a defensive back to the roster and have taken Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston with the 30th pick.

Hairston impressed at the February combine with the fastest 40-yard dash time of 4.28 seconds. He will hope his electric speed is enough to guard some of the toughest receivers in the AFC East, such as Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and Garrett Wilson.

Fresh off a shock NFC Championship appearance, the Commanders have used their first round pick to take an offensive lineman.

Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. will move from Eugene to Washington D.C. and protect reigning rookie of the year Jayden Daniels in 2025. He was named a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten with the Ducks in 2024.

Right after the third Georgia Bulldog was taken, a third Ohio State Buckeye has been drafted.

With the 28th pick, the Detroit Lions selected defensive tackle Tyleik Williams to bolster its front line. Williams was named to two All-Big Ten teams in his last two seasons in Columbus and adds depth to the Detroit defense, which suffered multiple injuries last season.

Williams is the first Buckeye defender taken in the first round since three were selected in 2020 (Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, and Damon Arnette).

The third Georgia Bulldog is off the board as the Baltimore Ravens have added safety Malaki Starks.

Starks started for three years with Georgia and recorded nearly 200 tackles and six interceptions in that time span. He ranks as one of the top safeties in the class and will certainly help the Ravens pass defense in 2025.

Atlanta traded with the Los Angeles Rams to take the 26th pick and have selected another defensive star with Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr.

The Charlotte native stands at 6’5″ and weighs 245 pounds. He has had multiple game wrecking performances with the Volunteers, especially last season as he led the team to a College Football Playoff berth.

He will team up with the Falcons’ initial first round selection Jalon Walker to try and rebuild the defense in Atlanta.

The New York Giants have taken the second quarterback in the draft class, and it is not Shedeur Sanders. Instead, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has been selected and will join a quarterback room in New York that includes Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

Dart’s final two seasons with the Runnin’ Rebels was spectacular, leading the team to 21 wins and throwing 52 touchdowns. He ended his career with an incredible performance in the Gator Bowl, throwing for 404 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-20 win over Duke.

Now, Dart will learn from two experienced quarterbacks and could be the future of the franchise.

The Houston Texans have traded its first round pick at No. 25 to the New York Giants, who could decide to take a quarterback here.

Houston will get the 34th and 99th picks in this year’s draft from the Giants and acquire New York’s third round pick in 2026.

The second Buckeye is off the board as offensive guard Donovan Jackson is going to the Minnesota Vikings.

Jackson played at Ohio State for four seasons and was named a first-team All-American in the 2024 national championship winning season. Jackson is the first Buckeye offensive lineman taken in the first round since Paris Johnson Jr. in 2023.

The hometown Packers have made their fans very happy by selecting a wide receiver in the first round of a draft for the first time since 2002.

Texas wideout Matthew Golden will go from catching passes from Quinn Ewers to Jordan Love and join Green Bay next season. After two seasons with the Houston Cougars, Golden became a Longhorn in 2024 and played in each game, scoring nine touchdowns and amassing nearly 1,000 receive yards.

He will forever have the memory of being selected at his first NFL home stadium and to the roar of his new hometown crowd.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is bolstering the Chargers offense and has selected North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, who will join an offense featuring Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey.

In three seasons with the Tar Heels, Hampton scored 36 touchdowns and ran for over 3,500 yards. He earned two first-team All-American honors and could be a good fit in a Chargers offense that hopes to finally win a playoff game in the Herbert era.

Pittsburgh has opted to not draft a quarterback in the first round, instead taking Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

From Detroit, Harmon stands at 6’4″ and weighs 313 pounds and helped block for Big Ten player of the year Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks’ top-tier offense. The Steelers will hope Harmon will be the successor to former Buckeye Cameron Heyward, who is about to enter his 15th season.

We’re back to defensive players as the Denver Broncos selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th pick.

Barron had a phenomenal 2024 season, winning the Jim Thorpe award as the nation’s best defensive back and being named a consensus All-American. He will join the NFL’s reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain and create a formidable secondary in the Mile High City.

On the clock now is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who could draft a quarterback.

The first Buckeye is off the board and will head to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ohio State’s all-time leader in catches Emeka Egbuka has been taken 19th overall and will join up with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and company with the NFC South winners.

Egbuka spent four seasons with the Buckeyes and broke the program catches record during the national championship win over Notre Dame. With his selection, a Buckeye has been taken in the first round of the last ten NFL Drafts.

This also marks the fourth straight draft a Buckeye receiver was taken in the first round as Egbuka joins Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave.

Now that we have a chance to catch our breath, some numbers to look at after the first 18 picks:

-11 picks have been offensive or defensive linemen so far.

-Five Big Ten players have been selected (Three from Michigan and two from Penn State)

-Eight SEC players have been selected (Georgia with the most with two)

Seattle has used its first round selection on an FCS player with offensive guard Grey Zabel from North Dakota State selected with the 18th pick.

Starting the final 36 games of his career, Zabel was part of two national title winning teams in Fargo and was named a first-team FCS All-American in 2024. The 23-year-old from Pierre, South Dakota will now head to the Pacific Northwest and join the Seahawks.

Cincinnati has addressed its defense and taken a new pass rusher in Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart. Despite not padding the stat sheet over three seasons at College Station, NFL scouts love his physicality at 6’5″ and 267 pounds.

Stewart was considered among the best edge rushers in this year’s class and the Bengals will need him to get to quarterbacks next season.

After recording 6.5 sacks last season and being named a consensus All-American, Ole Miss Rebels defensive tackle Walter Nolen will become an Arizona Cardinal.

After two seasons with Texas A&M, Nolen transferred to Oxford to play under Lane Kiffin. Rated the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 high school class, Nolen enters the NFL at 6’4″ and 296 pounds and becomes the newest defensive star for the Cardinals.

Now on the clock is the Cincinnati Bengals.

Atlanta has not looked far for its first round selection as the Falcons have selected Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker with the 15th pick.

Walker led Georgia in tackles for loss and sacks last season on his way to winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. Despite being 6’1″, he is able to use his speed to be a game wrecker on the blitz. The Falcons will hope he can become the franchise’s new defensive leader.

Indianapolis has got its new starting tight end and it may be the best one in this draft. Penn State’s Tyler Warren, who was named the best tight end in college football last season, was selected with the 14th pick by the Colts.

Warren played quarterback in high school and showed his versatility all of 2024 with the Nittany Lions. From throws to crushing blocks to highlight-reel catches, Warren shined in Happy Valley and will remain in blue and white as he starts his NFL career with the Colts.

A third Michigan Wolverine has been selected in the first half of the first round as defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is heading to Miami.

Grant, an Indiana native, was named a third-team All-American in 2024 in his junior season. He’s got a quick first step and the Dolphins hope he can improve their defense in the 2025 season.

Another offensive lineman has been taken in the first round and this time it is Alabama’s Tyler Booker, who will go from Tuscaloosa to Dallas.

Recruited from IMG Academy, Booker played three seasons with the Crimson Tide and earned first-team All-American nods in 2024. He stands at 6’5″ and weighs 321 pounds and joins a solid Cowboys offensive line.

An Alabama player has been selected in the last 17 first rounds of the NFL Draft.

We are back to defense as defensive end Mykel Williams of Georgia headlines the 11-20 section of the first round.

The 20-year-old is the latest first round defensive draft prospect developed in Athens under head coach Kirby Smart. Williams was part of the 2022 national title team and entered college as a five-star prospect.

His next step is out west to San Francisco, marking the first time since 1953 the 49ers have taken a Georgia player in the first round.

Chicago is giving sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams a new passing target and it is a tight end from the Big Ten.

Michigan’s Colston Loveland is the first tight end off the board, before Penn State’s Tyler Warren, and will head to the Windy City. After going to high school in Idaho, Loveland was key in Michigan’s 2023 national title team and will offer pass catching and blocking to the Bears’ offense.

Before the Chicago Bears make the 10th pick, the NFL announced that the 2025 regular season schedule will be released on Wednesday May 14.

The NFL season opener will be hosted by the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on NBC4 in early September.

New Orleans did not go quarterback in the first round and instead added a new offensive tackle, selecting Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr.

The 21-year-old from Humble, Texas was named college football’s best interior lineman last season and won the Lombardi Award. This marks the third time the Saints have drafted an OT in the first round in the last four NFL Drafts.

Through nine picks, three offensive tackles have been taken.

Despite speculation Carolina would go defense, the Panthers have added a playmaker to join quarterback Bryce Young: Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan.

Born in Hawaii, McMillan ended his three-year college career with the Wildcats with 26 touchdown catches and over 3,400 receiving yards. A consensus All-American, McMillan joins a young Panthers offense that showed promise at the end of 2024.

It is the second straight season the Panthers have gone WR in the first round. They selected Xavier Legette last season.

With the seventh pick, the New York Jets are adding mammoth offensive tackle Armand Membou, who stands at 6’4″ and weighs 332 pounds.

The former Missouri Tiger has incredible athleticism and earned second-team All-SEC honors last season. His occupation will be protecting new Jets quarterback and former Buckeye Justin Fields, who is expected to become New York’s new starter.

To little surprise, the Las Vegas Raiders have found its new running back: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos runner had a historic 2024 season when he ran for 2,601 yards, the second most in a single college football season.

His play helped Boise State to earn a bye in the College Football Playoff and got him second place in the Heisman Trophy voting. He will now head to Sin City and play under head coach Pete Carroll and former Buckeye offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Jeanty is the earliest Boise State pick ever and joins Marcus Allen and Josh Jacobs among first round running backs taken by the Silver & Black.