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2025 NFL Draft: Big Ten delivers historic first round
By Paul Harvey
Published:
The 2025 NFL Draft was off and running on Thursday night with first-round action live from Green Bay.
When it comes to Big Ten football, Abdul Carter from Penn State was the top selection at No. 3 overall. He is the highest-picked Nittany Lion since Saquon Barkley was drafted No. 2 overall, with both players actually getting drafted by the New York Giants, albeit 7 years apart.
However, Carter was far from the only B1G player to come off the board on Thursday night. When Ohio State’s Josh Simmons was taken No. 32 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, he cemented a new first-round record for the conference.
Simmons was the 11th B1G player selected in Thursday’s opening round, the most ever for the league. The previous record was 9 first-round picks, and the B1G also produced a pair of top-5 picks with Mason Graham (Michigan) going No. 5 overall to the Cleveland Browns.
In terms of the most picks by school, Ohio State led the way with 4 in the form of Emeka Egbuka (No. 19), Donovan Jackson (No. 24), Tyleik Williams (No. 28) and Simmons. Michigan produced 3 picks, but every single Wolverine taken in the first round came within the first 13 picks of the draft.
Oregon and Penn State both produced 2 players each. Here is the full list:
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.