Entering the 2016 NFL Draft, experts predicted a lot of players from Ohio State would be drafted because of the success the team had in the past two seasons. However, nobody expected the team to have as much success as it did last week. The fact that they had so many players picked in the draft won’t affect their college football rankings, but it will provide them with a big boost on the recruiting trail.
On Thursday night, Ohio State tied a school record with five players being drafted in the first round, falling just shy of the record six players set by the Miami Hurricanes in 2004. Defensive end Joey Bosa led the way for the Buckeyes on Thursday after being selected with the 3rd pick by the San Diego Chargers.
After Bose was drafted, the Dallas Cowboys selected running back Ezekiel Elliot with the 4th pick in the draft. With the 10th pick, the New York Giants selected Eli Apple, giving the Buckeyes three players selected in the top 10.
After the trio of selections, two more Buckeyes were selected with the 16th and 20th picks. The Detroit Lions, who had the 16th pick selected offensive tackle Taylor Decker and the New York Jets took linebacker Darron Lee with their pick.
According to Forbes, the rookie contracts of the five former Ohio State players could be $87 million.
All of the drafted players, with the exception of Taylor Decker, were part of Urban Meyer’s recruiting class in 2013, and members of the inaugural College Football Playoff national champions. Meyer understands the impact winning the championship with these players and seeing them drafted so high will have on new recruits who will be hoping for a similar career trajectory.
In other words, the message the championship and high draft status sends to new recruits is: Come to Ohio State, you will have a chance to win a national championship and play in the NFL.
While speaking to ESPN reporters before the draft, Meyer said that Ohio State was going to track recruits on social media and use the fact that his players won a championship and were drafted high in the NFL to recruit new players.
Meyer was also shown high-fiving his players after their names were called, which showed how supportive he was of his guys, even the ones that decided to leave school early.
Zach Smith, the Ohio State receivers coach, also said the fact that the players enjoyed a lot of success at Ohio State is a major selling point during the recruiting process.
Smith said if players choose to go to Ohio State and buy into the culture, they are going to be in a position to win a championship and be drafted by NFL teams. Special teams and cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs added that the result of the draft is evidence of what happens to players that decide to go to Ohio State.
In addition to the six players selected in the first round, six more Ohio State players were drafted this year, including former Big Ten Player of the Year Braxton Miller, who converted from quarterback to wide receiver last season.
