Sports

Ideal Landing Spots for Mid-Round Ohio State NFL Draft Prospects After Round 1

By Dylan Buganski Sports Illustrated

Updated April 23, 2026 2:41 PM

With the NFL Draft starting tomorrow night, most Buckeye fans have their eyes on the four Ohio State Buckeyes that are expected to be top-10 picks.

After Sonny Styles, Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, and Caleb Downs get drafted tomorrow night, Ohio State still has plenty of talent that will be at the top of teams' draft boards going into rounds 2-7.

Looking at the later rounds, 7 former Buckeyes look projected to be drafted, and will be hoping for new homes that give them an opportunity to play right away.

Here are realistic, ideal landing spots for all 7 as they draft approaches this weekend.

Kayden McDonald: Las Vegas Raiders

There is a strong chance McDonald is grabbed at the end of the first round Thursday night, but the unanimous first-team All-American has bounced in between the first and second rounds.

If he does fall into Friday night, the Las Vegas Raiders would be a dream scenario.

After revamping the defense in the offseason with the additions of Kwity Paye, Nakobe Dean, Eric Stokes, and Taron Johnson, the Raiders defense's only true hole currently is defensive tackle. This immediately surrounds McDonald with not the only opportunity to start week one with a strong training camp, but play with a unit full of playmakers.

Max Klare: Kansas City Chiefs

With the Chiefs holding three top-40 picks in the draft, their later picks could be looking towards the future and building depth. With Max Klare currently holding a Round 3 projection, playing in Arrowhead Stadium could be a possibility for the athletic tight end.

Travis Kelce is 36, and last year started showing signs of real regression in the Chiefs offense. Noah Gray and Jared Wiley are not strong successors to Kelce, and gives Klare a real opportunity to be that for Kansas City.

Playing in a spread offense last year, Klare's speed and ability would be an immediate fit and target for the Chiefs. The combination of getting to learn under Kelce and play for one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes is also a plus.

Davison Igbinosun: Seattle Seahawks

Igbinosun is projected to be either a late-third rounder or fourth rounder in this upcoming draft, highlighting a strong depth at cornerback in the draft class.

As the Seahawks could easily use one of their first two picks on a corner, they have also been rumored to trade down from their pick at 32, leaving their late third-round pick a good opportunity for Igbinosun to land.

After losing Coby Bryant in the offseason, there is a lack of depth at the position for Seattle. With his ties to the Big Ten, Head Coach Mike Macdonald could see a lot of upside for Igbinuson and immediately pair him with two stars from last season: Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori.

Will Kacmarek: Philadelphia Eagles

Will Kacmarek is the perfect mold of a late-round tight end with his ability to block and success out of the play-action.

With Dallas Goedert only on a one-year deal heading into next season, it is looking unlikely he will be in Philadelphia after this year. With most of the attention in his draft stock being in his run blocking ability, the mystery of the Eagles tight end room for the future could benefit Kacmarek.

He is projected to be a mid-5th or 6th rounder, and would be a sensible addition to Philadelphia who are looking to return to the run game they produced in their Super Bowl run two years ago.

Caden Curry: Detroit Lions

After Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit has a lot of question marks of who can be solid contributors off the edge.

This is where Caden Curry thrives.

After producing 11.5 sacks last year, his high-motor play next to Hutchinson can wear tackles down. Currently projected as a late 5th-6th round pick, the Lions can find a lot of value for the Buckeye 2025 sacks leader, and Curry can find a place he can immediately see the field.

Lorenzo Styles Jr.: Cincinnati Bengals

Whether it's in the late 7th round or on an undrafted free agent deal, it is hard not to put one of the Ohio teams for Styles. His impressive performance at the combine, where he ran a 4.27 40-yard dash, should make him a late find for teams like the Bengals to find depth at corner/nickel as well as returning punts and kicks.

Cincinnati has an emerging star with DJ Turner and Dax Hill has been solid for them, but after that there are major depth question marks in the corner room for the Bengals. Especially with no surefire starter at the nickel position, a strong camp for the Bengals could move him up the depth chart quickly and give him some playing time, making this in a all aspects a great landing spot for the older Styles brother to come from Ohio State.

C.J. Donaldson: Jacksonville Jaguars

Donaldson will likely be an undrafted free agent, but after the Jaguars lost Travis Etienne Jr. during the offseason, this could be a sport Donaldson can make his mark quickly.

As he did lose reps to Bo Jackson and Isaiah West down the stretch last season, Donaldson still showed a strong ability as a goalline back for the Buckeyes. With Tuten mainly noted for his speed rather than size, he could be a viable option for Liam Coen to go to next season.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Ideal Landing Spots for Mid-Round Ohio State NFL Draft Prospects After Round 1.

This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:25 PM.