Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s record year last season showed why Ryan Day’s Ohio State keeps sending talent to the NFL. The former Buckeye receiver led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl LX win and earned Offensive Player of the Year. NFL teams are already looking back at Columbus for the next group.
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Dan Hope, lead Ohio State football writer for Eleven Warriors, reports 17 NFL teams are sending scouts to Ohio Stadium for the Buckeyes’ 2026 opener against Ball State. The Seahawks have three. The Bears, Browns, Colts and Falcons each have two. The rest of the list includes the 49ers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Giants, Jaguars, Lions, Raiders, Saints, Steelers, Texans, Titans and Vikings.
Fifty-nine former Buckeyes are on 2026 NFL 53-man rosters. Eleven players from the 2025 team were picked in the 2026 draft, and four went in the first round. Teams have clear reasons to keep watching.
The Cincinnati Bengals are missing from the scout list. That stands out because they have zero former Ohio State players on their roster. They are one of only five teams without a Buckeye this season, along with the Ravens, Packers, Chargers, and Eagles.
The most likely reason the Bengals stayed away is that they have one of the smallest scouting staffs in the NFL. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin has said they do not plan to expand it.
Seventeen teams at one Ohio State game is not new. The 2015 Michigan State game at Ohio State also drew 17 programs. The 2025 Texas opener at Ohio State drew 20 to 22 teams and 31 to 33 scouts.
The Buckeyes’ last 5-season overall record is 59-10, which gives an idea of why NFL scouts take this team seriously. They won the 2024 College Football Playoff title, beating Notre Dame 34-23. In 2025, they went 9-0 in the regular season but lost the conference title game to Indiana.
The scout numbers make sense once you look at how many Buckeyes keep reaching the league.
Ohio State’s NFL pipeline keeps drawing scouts
All 11 of the program’s 2026 draft picks survived final cuts. No undrafted free agent from that roster made a 53-man team. Running back CJ Donaldson signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent but was released.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the former Buckeye to win a major AP award last season. He took Offensive Player of the Year and unanimous first-team All-Pro. He led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards and 119 catches, and set Seahawks franchise records.
NFL coaches have talked about why they trust the program. Pete Carroll, then the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, spoke at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“It’s incredible. They continue to just fuel that thing with great players,” he noted. “Coach (Ryan Day) has got it going. He knows how to utilize those good players and make sure they continue to stay on top of things.”
Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots head coach and a former Ohio State player, has also spoken about the program.
“I think they clearly see a program that’s run as closely to an NFL team as you could at that level. I think there’s a lot of talent,” Vrabel said in a 2020 interview. “You understand they’re going to be talented and well-coached. They’re going to be part of a program that has a schedule, that has things that are detailed and has accountability. But in the end, it comes down to talent.”
The current 2026 roster already has the next group of names. Junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is seen as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class and a possible top-five or No. 1 pick. He has more than 2,500 receiving yards over the last two seasons. Scouts have compared his traits to Calvin Johnson.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin is also a first-round candidate. In 2025, he completed 77% of his passes, which is an Ohio State record. He threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Meanwhile, offensive tackle Austin Siereveld is projected as a first-round pick. Safety Jaylen McClain and offensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Luke Montgomery are viewed as Day 2 or 3 picks.
Ohio State’s NFL pipeline is already stacked with proven stars, and the next wave is lining up behind them. With 17 teams watching the Buckeyes in Week 1, Columbus once again becomes a scouting hotspot.