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Ohio State is Pass-Rusher U

By Max Staley

Ohio State is producing pass-rushers at a truly elite rate.
Ohio State is producing pass-rushers at a truly elite rate. / Christian Petersen/Getty Images
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Few programs produce more elite-level NFL talent than the Ohio State Buckeyes. Most tend to associate Ohio State with dominant defensive backs (Marshon Lattimore, Denzel Ward) or wide receivers (Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin).

However, Ohio State's best talent might actually come at a different position: pass-rusher. In fact, it's safe to say Ohio State is now officially pass-rusher U.

Since 2016, the Buckeyes have produced Joey Bosa (No. 3 pick in 2016), his younger brother Nick Bosa (No. 2 pick in 2019) and Chase Young (No. 2 pick in 2020).

When healthy, both of the Bosa brothers are viewed as top-10 edge rushers. Joey recorded double-digit sacks in three of his first four NFL seasons, and he's got 7.5 through 11 appearances in 2020.

As for Nick, his presence completely transformed the San Francisco 49ers' defense last year. He recorded 9.0 sacks and 25 QB hits while helping lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance as a rookie. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in Week 2, and the defense hasn't been the same without him in 2020.

It seems injuries are the only thing capable of stopping the Bosas.

Young, meanwhile, is coming off his most dominant game as a pro in Week 14. He recorded 1 sack, 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble and topped it off with a 47-yard fumble recovery for a TD. Widely regarded to be a generational talent, Young has 5.5 sacks and 8 QB hits through 12 games.

There aren't any other programs that can claim to have produced three legitimate top-10 talents at pass-rusher.

Ohio State is often in the conversation for DBU or WRU, but it's time to start recognizing the Buckeyes as the country's premier program for pass-rushing talent.


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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.