To the surprise of absolutely no one, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, completing a journey that began at Ohio State and ended with a Heisman Trophy and a national championship. While Burrow probably didn’t need any more accolades to go with his perch as the top pick, he contributed to history on Thursday evening, joining forces with a pair of former Ohio State teammates in Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah.
Young, as expected, was selected by Washington with the No. 2 pick, and when Okudah got the nod from the Detroit Lions at No. 3 overall, the trio of Buckeyes left their mark.
This marks the first time in NFL draft history that the first three picks were teammates in college at one time: Joe Burrow, Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah were all at Ohio State together.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 24, 2020
This is a bit of a technicality since Burrow did the majority of his collegiate damage in Baton Rouge, but the talented quarterback did appear in two different seasons for Ohio State. Things worked out quite well for him elsewhere but, in Columbus, the Buckeyes were enjoying big-time success in their own right and it isn’t a big surprise that Young and Okudah would be recognized as elite-level talents.
Outside of the South, Ohio State recruits at a level that is essentially unmatched and, with that in mind, they would be a natural team to pull off this kind of feat. Still, it is worth noting that inherent difficulty of having three players from the same roster taken in 1-2-3 order in the NFL Draft and it happened for Ohio State in 2020.
