Best and Worst Case NFL Draft Scenarios for Ohio State's Defensive Prospects
There is a different feel to this Ohio State defensive group.
It is deeper. It is more proven than the Buckeyes prospects on offense. And at the very top, there are players who are not just expected to go early, they could shape how the entire first round unfolds.
Still, even with that kind of certainty, there is movement underneath. Some will rise. Some may wait longer than expected. And for a few, the difference between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon could come down to one team seeing something others do not.
Caleb Downs (S)
Best Case: Top 5 overall pick, with the New York Giants at No. 5 feeling like a clean, ideal fit for a player widely viewed as a franchise-level safety.
Worst Case: Slips just outside the top 10, but it is difficult to see him getting past the middle of the first round. Teams like Baltimore at No. 14 or Tampa Bay at No. 15 would make a lot of sense.
Downs feels as safe as it gets. There is not much projection here. The instincts, the range, the consistency, it all shows up. You can drop him into an NFL defense right now and feel good about what you are getting.
Sonny Styles (LB)
Best Case: Climbs as high as No. 3 overall, with multiple mock drafts already placing him firmly inside the top five.
Worst Case: Slides into the middle of the first round if positional value comes into play but still comes off the board comfortably on Thursday night.
Styles has moved past the "intriguing" stage. The position switch worked. The production followed. And the versatility shows up in a way that fits exactly what teams are looking for right now. At this point, it is not about whether he goes early. It is just how early.
Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE)
Best Case: No. 1 overall pick. It may not be the expectation with quarterbacks likely to go early, but Reese has shown up as the top player on multiple big boards. If a team is willing to pass on a quarterback, it is not a stretch to see him go first.
Worst Case: Slides to around No. 5, still firmly in that top tier and among the first defensive players selected.
This is where the draft can flip. Reese is not just traits. He is not just projection. It all shows up together, and evaluators have taken notice.
Davison Igbinosun (CB)
Best Case: Finds his way into the back end of the first round if there is a run on cornerbacks late Thursday night.
Worst Case: Slips into Saturday if it turns into a numbers game and teams do not align on where he fits within the position group.
Most projections have him in that 5–7 range among corners, which typically puts him on Friday. But that can change quickly. If teams start stacking corners early, the back half of the first round can shift in a hurry.
We have seen it before. Five or even six corners going in Round 1 is not out of the question. And if that happens, someone in this range gets pulled up. He is right in that window.
Kayden McDonald (DT)
Best Case: Climbs into the top 15, as teams prioritize interior disruption and see a player who can impact the game in multiple ways from the inside.
Worst Case: Slides into early Day 2 but still comes off the board quickly once Friday's festivities begin.
McDonald feels like one of those players the league may be higher on than the public at times.
The invite to the draft matters. It usually means teams expect a player to come off the board early enough that he will not be sitting there long. And once you are in that range, things can move fast. All it takes is one team in that 10 to 15 window to see him as more than just solid.
Caden Curry (EDGE)
Best Case: Comes off the board early on Day 3, with teams seeing enough strength and production to project him into a rotational role.
Worst Case: Goes undrafted and has to find his way through a free agent opportunity.
Curry is one of those evaluations that splits a room. There is a lot to like. He plays strong. He holds up. He flashes as a pass rusher. But it is not always consistent, and the explosiveness can come and go.
Lorenzo Styles Jr. (S)
Best Case: Climbs into early Saturday range as teams prioritize elite speed and see a role for him right away on special teams with room to grow defensively.
Worst Case: Goes undrafted but quickly finds a landing spot as a priority free agent.
The 4.27 40-yard dash at the combine certainly got plenty of attention. That kind of speed is hard to ignore, especially at safety where range matters. It forces teams to go back and take another look.
Tywone Malone Jr. (DT)
Best Case: Selected in the seventh round, with a team taking a late flyer on his size and developmental upside along the interior.
Worst Case: Does not receive a priority free agent contract immediately following the draft. It would be surprising coming from a program like Ohio State, but it is not impossible given how crowded the position can be and where some rankings place him.
Malone's range is about opportunity. Some draft boards have him well down the list, even into the 600 range, which makes this more about how teams stack their final group of developmental linemen than anything else.
But there is more there. He is a smart player who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, something teams value more than it is often discussed.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Best and Worst Case NFL Draft Scenarios for Ohio State's Defensive Prospects.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 12:06 PM.