Ohio State has 7 players taken in first 2 rounds of NFL draft

Ohio State rode the deepest, most talented roster in college football to a national title last season. NFL evaluators took notice.

Seven Buckeyes were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft, matching the program record set in 2016. That was two more than any other school in rounds 1 and 2 this year; Texas had five players selected.

Receiver Emeka Egbuka was the first Buckeye off the board, heading to Tampa Bay with the 19th overall pick. Egbuka led Ohio State with 81 receptions in 2024 and had 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

Versatile offensive lineman Donovan Jackson went to Minnesota at No. 24. Four picks later, Detroit drafted defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. Kansas City rounded out an eventful first night of the draft by adding offensive lineman Josh Simmons.

Three of the first 13 players picked during Friday night's second round were Buckeyes. Cleveland took running back Quinshon Judkins 36th overall with one of many picks acquired from Jacksonville in exchange for the No. 2 overall selection.

TreVeyon Henderson, the other half of Ohio State’s dynamic running back duo, was selected by New England with the 38th pick. Henderson and Judkins combined for 2,076 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in 2024.

Edge rusher JT Tuimoloau was the final Ohio State selection of the round, picked by Indianapolis at No. 45.

Notre Dame, which lost 34-23 to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game, had its first player selected when the Buccaneers took cornerback Benjamin Morrison at No. 53. Morrison missed the second half of last season with a hip injury.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers first round draft pick Emeka Egbuka holds up a jersey as he poses with head coach Todd Bowles, left, and general manager Jason Licht, right during an NFL football news conference Friday, April 25, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard missed Monday night's 4-1 loss to Edmonton because of an illness.

The Blackhawks have been hit hard by a stomach bug going around their locker room. While Bedard was scratched against the Oilers, goaltender Spencer Knight and defenseman Louis Crevier returned to the lineup. Backup goaltender Arvid Soderblom also was available.

Teuvo Teravainen departed in the first period because of an upper-body injury. The Blackhawks are off on Tuesday, and coach Jeff Blashill said he would have an update on the forward on Wednesday.

“He could be OK. I just don’t know yet for sure. He couldn’t finish the game,” Blashill said. “We’ll go under evaluation here tomorrow and it might be something where he’s OK, might not be."

Bedard has 19 goals and a team-high 27 assists in 33 games. The 20-year-old center missed 12 games with a right shoulder injury before returning on Friday night against Washington. He had two assists in Saturday night's 3-0 victory at Nashville.

The Blackhawks also played without center Frank Nazar, who has missed 11 straight games after he was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20.

“We’d prefer any of our great players in the lineup. But the reality is, when you don’t have them, you just come together,” captain Nick Foligno said. “It’s a game where you tighten up and do it for them, or do it for each other, or you play the right way. Today, we just allowed them to get their game right away. We didn’t make it hard on them.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)