Hopes and predictions for four Ohio State players in the 2026 NFL Draft

We are two months away from the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.

This week the annual NFL Scouting Combine is taking place in Indianapolis. After teams get an up close and personal look at those that have been invited to the combine, we’ll start to get a better idea of which players certain teams might be targeting.

Some players might shoot up draft boards with how they perform in Indianapolis, while others might see their stock fall if they aren’t at their best.

This week there are 11 Ohio State Buckeyes at the NFL Combine. While some of the players will like skip some of the workouts, saving the full show for Ohio State’s Pro Day, all 11 Buckeyes will at least get some face time with scouts and higher ups from the 32 NFL franchises.

Even if some of the Ohio State players predicted to go in the first round don’t go through the full battery of workouts this week, it shouldn’t negatively effect their draft position since there is so much positive tape on these players out there.

Since the draft is getting closer, now we can start thinking more about which players might land where. Even though there have been mock drafts out for months, we are beginning to get a clearer view of the players teams might be targeting.

Now that we are getting more of a concrete idea of what areas certain teams might be looking to address, it’s a good time to put together some hopes and predictions for some of the Buckeyes in this year’s draft.

Hopefully the New York Jets don’t draft Arvell Reese

Of course players want to be drafted as high as possible. It’s almost a given the Las Vegas Raiders are going to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

All bets are off when the New York Jets are on the clock with the next pick.

Currently it sounds like the Jets are targeting Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. If they do draft Reese, he’ll join former Buckeyes Garrett Wilson and Justin Fields.

Should the Jets make Reese the second pick in the draft, he’ll put on a brave face and say all the right things. In reality, Reese should be terrified to join the Jets. My immediate thought of Reese playing for the Jets is him becoming the next Vernon Gholston, an edge rusher/linebacker who flamed out after a few years in the league.

It’s not that I’m worried Reese doesn’t have the talent to be worthy of the second pick in the draft, what worries me is how big of a mess the Jets organization is. Somehow Aaron Glenn got another season as head coach after an exceptionally bad first season as head coach.

Reese would immediately be a starter for the Jets and likely the best player on the defense, but would it be too much too soon?

Would Reese be better off in Arizona or Tennessee, who hold the next two picks. I would give him a better chance to succeed in those two spots. Tennessee would be really interesting since the Titans just hired Robert Saleh as head coach.

Despite not being successful in his first stint as head coach, Saleh is a brilliant defensive coach and could help shape Reese’s career a lot better than I imagine Glenn and the Jets could. As long as Reese doesn’t land in New York, I think he’ll live up to the hype he has surrounding him coming out of college.

Carnell Tate shouldn’t fall past the Cleveland Browns at pick 6

If Carnell Tate is available when the Cleveland Browns are on the clock with the sixth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Cleveland should have the card run up to the podium with the announcement that they are selecting the Ohio State wide receiver.

If we’re being real though, the Browns will probably end up trading down or drafting an offensive lineman.

Drafting Carnell Tate would be a home run for Cleveland. The Browns would get a receiver from a couple hours down I-71 that could step in immediately and be their top receiver. Besides, it’s not like Cleveland can’t draft an offensive lineman with their other pick later in the first round that they acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars last year.

Last year Shedeur Sanders did the best with what he had when his number was finally called. Jerry Jeudy isn’t a number one receiver anymore and anybody who thinks he is doesn’t know ball. Harold Fannin Jr. was outstanding at tight end but Cleveland needs a top receiver to line up with him.

Carnell Tate is perfect for the Browns and he would immediately become a fan favorite.

Caleb Downs won’t be available at pick 10 for the Cincinnati Bengals

It’s pretty rare that a safety is taken in the top-10 in the NFL Draft. Caleb Downs is the exception and not the rule. Recently there has been talk the New York Jets could entertain picking Downs just because he is that good. Even if the Jets pass on Downs, there are plenty of suitors for the safety among the first 10 picks of the draft.

Caleb Downs to the Cincinnati Bengals seems too good to be true. The Bengals need lots of help on defense, especially in the secondary.

Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, if it seems too good be true, it probably is.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Downs taken with someone who currently has a pick before the Bengals, or if someone traded up and slid ahead Cincinnati to take the generational safety.

If I had to put money on which team selects Downs, it would be the New York Giants. I could see new head coach John Harbaugh looking at Downs like a new Kyle Hamilton.

Plus, the Giants already have a lot of pieces in the defensive front seven, so it would make sense for them to look towards the secondary with the fifth overall pick. Downs is the only option if the Giants are going to draft a defensive back with the pick.

Max Klare will be the second tight end selected

The first tight end selected in the 2026 NFL Draft will likely be Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. After Sadiq, all bets are off. Along with Klare, Joe Royer of Cincinnati and Dallen Bentley of Utah are options to be the next tight end taken.

Tight ends who can catch the football have become even more important in offenses over the last couple decades. Travis Kelce, Antonio Gates, and George Kittle are just a few examples of tight ends who have played major roles in the passing game. Klare has the ability to become a strong contributor for any team that ends up drafting him in April.

Not only can Klare catch the football, he has shown he can also be an asset in pass protection and run blocking. Even though there is strong competition to be the second tight end taken in the draft after Sadiq, Klare has a leg up since he has a big upside.

Expect Klare to come off the board on the second day of the draft in the second round.