Ohio State coach Urban Meyer compared his team’s first-round presence in the 2016 NFL Draft to “a three-hour infomercial for our program.” If the first round was an OSU infomercial, the entire draft was an OSU telethon. It began with DE Joey Bosa and RB Ezekiel Elliott coming off the board in the first four picks of the draft, to the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. LB Darron Lee, OL Taylor Decker and CB Eli Apple were first-round choices as well, leaving OSU only one first-round pick shy of Miami’s record of six in 2004. It ended with two fourth-round picks in QB Cardale Jones (Bills) and LB Joshua Perry (Chargers). In between, history was made. The Buckeyes’ 12 draft choices in the first four rounds were a modern-era NFL record. Seven rounds weren’t enough for the NFL to get its fill of the Buckeyes, however. Safety Tyvis Powell was one of several OSU players to sign as undrafted free agents. Powell signed with the Seattle Seahawks, WR Jalin Marshall with the New York Jets, and OL Chase Farris with the Detroit Lions. It was heavily the result of an outpouring of nine underclassmen leaving Ohio State with NCAA eligibility still remaining, seven of which were selected (Powell and Marshall were not). A look every school that had five players or more chosen in the draft (click school names to see players drafted from each): Ohio State: 12 Clemson: 9 UCLA: 8 Alabama: 7 Florida: 7 Notre Dame: 7 Baylor: 6 Arkansas: 5 Georgia: 5 LSU: 5 Michigan State: 5 Ole Miss: 5 Penn State: 5 Stanford: 5 TCU: 5 West Virginia: 5 Clemson wasn’t too far behind OSU with nine draft picks, led by four defensive players chosen in the first two rounds: DE Shaq Lawson, DB T.J. …
Continue Reading: 2016 NFL Draft: Which schools had best/worst showings?
