COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 2023 NFL season gets underway on Thursday night. Ohio State will be heavily represented in the NFL this season as it has been for a long time.
As the season gets underway, 48 former Ohio State players are currently on NFL rosters according to the NCAA. While it’s the most represented school in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are not No. 1 among colleges in that category.
Alabama still leads the way with 57, followed by back-to-back national champion Georgia with 49.
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Ohio State is third among schools in this statistic with LSU (43) and Michigan (38) rounding out the top five.
The SEC leads all conferences in terms of former players on NFL rosters with a grand total of 367. The Big Ten is in second with 288.
Among the newest former Buckeyes to make their NFL debuts this week include Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was the second pick in April’s NFL draft, Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Stroud will join Justin Fields of the Bears as former Buckeyes who will start at quarterback in the NFL.
If you’re looking for which team has the most former Buckeyes, one of them isn’t too far away from Columbus. The Browns are tied with the Falcons and Saints for the most former Ohio State players on the roster at four. In addition to Denzel Ward, the Browns drafted Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler, and safety Ronnie Hickman made the team as an undrafted free agent.
The Saints’ four former OSU players include a pair of receivers in Chris Olave and Michael Thomas and also has two key players on defense in linebacker Pete Werner and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Atlanta drafted Zach Harrison in the third round, putting him together with fellow former Ohio State players Jeff Okudah, Isaiah Prince and Liam McCullough.
The Commanders and Seahawks are tied for the next-most former Ohio State players at three each. Smith-Njigba and defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones joined Tyreke Smith in Seattle during the offseason, and the Commanders boast a pair of former OSU receivers in Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel to go with defensive end Chase Young.
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