NFL draft: Ranking Ohio State first-round WRs since 2022 - ESPN

Ohio State has become a gold mine for NFL scouts looking for elite wide receiver prospects. In the past four NFL drafts dating to 2022, five Buckeyes wideouts have been drafted in the first round. That's the most WRs to go in Round 1 from one school over a four-year period since Alabama had five go between 2020-23, per ESPN Research.

The 2026 draft will add another in Carnell Tate. He is projected to be a top-10 pick and is arguably the WR1 in the class. And we should have yet another in 2027, when Jeremiah Smith is likely to be a top-five selection and could even be the first WR selected No. 1 overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.

Quality wide receiver play isn't new at Ohio State. Besides recent non-first-round hits such as Michael Thomas (2016) and Terry McLaurin (2019), Buckeyes alums include Hall of Famer Cris Carter, Joey Galloway, Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. But it was this current run of highly touted OSU receivers turning into high-end professionals that prompted me to go back and look at our predraft notes on each player and rank them based on what they were as prospects coming out of Columbus.

This isn't taking NFL production or potential into account — only the player's predraft report. But I also talked to a handful of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers to get their takes. I included my predraft rankings for the specific draft classes they were each in.

It should be no surprise who's at the top (for now), but the rest of the list is a fascinating and fun look at Ohio State's wide receiver pipeline. Where does Tate — who will work out at the Buckeyes' pro day Wednesday — fit in? Could he be the next great OSU pass catcher? Let's rank him against the five recent