(Photo credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State is not the reigning national champion in college football, and the Buckeyes are not expected to produce a fourth No. 1 overall selection when the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off with the Las Vegas Raiders on the clock Thursday night.

But you can bet your most sacred scarlet that the Buckeyes are money in the bank to pad their all-time total -- 97 and counting -- first-round selections soon after Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is selected by the Raiders.

Anywhere between nine and 13 Ohio State players are projected to be drafted into the NFL this week, and five carry first-round grades one year removed from the 2025 national championship roster that produced four first-rounders: wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 21, Buccaneers), offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (24, Vikings), defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (28, Lions) and offensive tackle Josh Simmons (32, Chiefs).

The 2021 Alabama team and the 2004 Miami squad share the record with six first-round selections in a single draft.

The wait for the Ohio State takeover of the 2026 draft might not be long. In fact, that first selection could come right after Mendoza hears his name called.

Buckeyes linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are candidates to be selected No. 2 overall by the Jets. Styles put on an epic athletic display at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and Reese, who played a variety of positions in Matt Patricia's defense, was right there with him. At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Reese is being compared to Penn State-era Micah Parsons, the No. 12 pick in the 2021 draft and a three-time NFL All-Pro.

Reese is dripping with upside. He had 6.5 sacks at Ohio State in 2025 but was only a part-time pass rusher.

Only 20, Reese could add significant weight and convert to defensive end or focus on an edge/outside linebacker role. Because of his speed and power, there are also teams that discussed using him inside. The Cleveland native met with the Browns but he might not stick around long enough to stay in Ohio; the Browns have picks No. 6 and 24. He also had multiple meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, who pick third overall.

'I played everywhere from inside linebacker to (strong-side) to edge. I was comfortable everywhere,' Reese said, noting NFL teams are complimentary of his versatility. 'It changes (with) each team, so it depends on the system and how the defensive coordinator thinks he'll use me.'

Styles is a second-generation NFL prospect. His dad, Lorenzo Styles, was an NFL linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons for six seasons. Lorenzo Styles Jr. is also part of the 2026 draft class. A Notre Dame transfer, Lorenzo Styles Jr. played safety -- and started 11 games -- for the Buckeyes last season.

At 6-5, 244, Sonny Styles stole the show at the combine. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, had a 43 1/2-inch vertical, broad jumped 11 feet, 2 inches and clocked a 4.26-second 20-yard shuttle. It points to his high school background as a five-star safety recruit.

The top tackler on Ohio State's dynamic defense, Sonny Styles had only one missed tackle all season -- and it came in the College Football Playoff -- by the count of Buckeyes' staff.

'I think the way I can improve the run defense is just being in the middle,' said Styles, a self-described film junkie. 'I feel like I had a great feel of what was coming.'

Safety Caleb Downs is listed as a top-10 prospect by many evaluators, and he will be in the draft green room Thursday with his linebacker teammates, wide receiver Carnell Tate and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

All six could be selected in the opening round. Downs and Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are vying to be the top player picked at the position and Tate is another likely first-round receiver produced by the Buckeyes. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception last season and caught 14 TD passes in three seasons at Ohio State.

McDonald turned 21 last month and was the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025. He had 65 tackles and nine tackles for loss last season as the thick and powerful roadblock to interior linemen trying to get their hands on Reese and Styles.

--Field Level Media