We are now in “30” visit season, and this year’s draft runup will feature a host of Ohio State products making such travel plans. Next month’s event could see four Buckeyes — Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate — go in the top 10. Another of the Big Ten power’s recent standouts is on the first-round radar as well.
Several teams are set to determine Kayden McDonald‘s draft stock, with the defensive tackle indicating (via SI.com’s Justin Melo) the Bears, Bengals, Commanders, Dolphins, Patriots, Raiders, Ravens and Texans have scheduled visits.
Like in free agency, this draft is not viewed as particularly strong at the position. The dearth of FA options led to a John Franklin-Myers Titans windfall. This draft’s hierarchy at the position is still taking shape, but as it stands, Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board does not include a DT among its top 32 prospects. A few sit just outside that range, however, with McDonald (39th) joining Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter (34), Clemson’s Peter Woods (35) and Florida’s Caleb Banks (36) among those vying to be the first player at the position to come off the board.
A first-team All-American in 2025, McDonald broke through in his junior Buckeyes season by making nine tackles for loss and registering three sacks. Profiling as a power rusher and run-stuffing presence, the disruptive D-lineman weighed 326 pounds at the Combine. He will be of interest to many teams who did not see a deep pool emerge at the position in free agency.
McDonald only has one season featuring notable production, with his 2024 slate — as the Buckeyes stormed to a national championship — only including 1.5 TFLs and no sacks. The bulk of the teams who have scheduled meetings with McDonald use a 4-3 scheme; Ohio State primarily used a 4-2-5 setup during McDonald’s three-year run. Field Yates’ latest NFL mock draft sends McDonald to the Raiders, who will continue using a 3-4 alignment in base sets, at No. 36.
Although the past four drafts have seen a DT go off the board in the top 16, the 2021 class did not bring a first-round investment at the position. It will be interesting to see how teams view this crop, one that may not see a top-20 pick this year.