{"id":412464,"date":"2026-01-16T05:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T05:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/412464\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T05:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T05:33:10","slug":"big-ten-heavyweight-could-dominate-the-top-15-of-the-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/412464\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Ten heavyweight could dominate the top 15 of the 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big Ten heavyweight could dominate the top 15 of the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ohio State is no longer just part of the NFL draft conversation. It is increasingly at the center of it.<\/p>\n

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The latest 2026 mock draft from Pro Football Focus<\/a> underscores just how loaded the Buckeyes\u2019 roster remains, projecting four Ohio State players inside the top 15 selections in April.\u00a0Max Chadwick\u2019s mock highlights a Buckeyes program that keeps turning elite college production into NFL ready talent across the entire field.<\/p>\n

Leading the way is linebacker Arvell Reese, projected third overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Chadwick notes that while Arizona \u201calso needs a quarterback,\u201d there \u201cisn\u2019t one worth taking here,\u201d making Reese \u201cone of the top defenders available.\u201d Reese is described as an \u201cimpressive downhill defender,\u201d with eight sacks, an 86.5 PFF run defense grade, and the versatility to play either off the ball or on the edge.<\/p>\n

On the offensive side, wide receiver Carnell Tate is slotted fifth overall to the New York Giants. Chadwick highlights Tate\u2019s efficiency and polish, pointing out that his 88.6 PFF grade ranks among the nation\u2019s best, while his 151.8 passer rating when targeted leads all FBS wide receivers. Tate projects as a true X receiver capable of transforming an NFL passing game.<\/p>\n

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MORE:\u00a0Miami\u2019s toughest moments reveal its DNA after Ole Miss win<\/a><\/p>\n

Defensively, safety Caleb Downs is projected seventh overall to Washington. Chadwick writes that Downs \u201chas been an elite player ever since he arrived in college football,\u201d producing a 93.6 career PFF grade and emerging as one of the premier safety prospects in recent memory. Linebacker Sonny Styles, projected 15th to Tampa Bay, rounds out the group after earning grades above 85.0 in both coverage and run defense.<\/p>\n

Chadwick also notes that defensive tackle Kayden McDonald could climb into the first round, and with Ohio State tight end Max Klare declaring for the draft, the Buckeyes could find themselves on the doorstep of the NCAA record with six first round selections.<\/p>\n

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MORE:\u00a0Mario Cristobal reflects on Miami playing days with Fernando Mendoza\u2019s father<\/a><\/p>\n

Coming off a historic year with 14 total draft picks, a school and Big Ten record, Ohio State is once again flirting with history as April approaches.<\/p>\n

More college football news:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Big Ten heavyweight could dominate the top 15 of the 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[1745,94509,6377,49,115070,48,6390,1728,514,5003,43873,94513,82],"class_list":["post-412464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-arvell-reese","tag-buckeyes","tag-ca","tag-caleb-downs","tag-canada","tag-miami","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-ohio-state","tag-pro-football-focus","tag-sonny-styles","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}