In the run-up to the Notre Dame-Ohio State Fiesta Bowl following the 2015 regular season, many a pundit pounded the pulpit on the plethora of potential next-level players* who would litter the field that night. At least in this instance, said pundits absolutely nailed it. As the dust has settled in Chicago and the 2016 NFL draft has been put to bed, the tally is official: a whopping 19 Buckeyes and Fighting Irish players who took part in or were on the roster for OSU’s 16-point win in the desert were selected in the seven rounds of the annual selection meeting. The Buckeyes, who entered Day 3 with a record 10 players drafted the first two days, finished with 12 players plucked by various NFL clubs. While that total is impressive, it falls just short of the record of 14 set by… the 2004 Buckeyes. They did, though, set one record on the day, and at their own expense. .@OhioStateFB sending squads to the league ?#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/NbmqsvCn0l — #NFLDraft (@nflnetwork) April 30, 2016 The Irish, meanwhile — and if you can calculate at a third-grade level — saw seven players selected in the draft. While it was a good haul, it was tied fourth, along with Alabama and Florida, behind OSU’s 12, Clemson’s nine and UCLA’s eight. There were nine schools that had five players each drafted: Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Stanford, TCU and West Virginia. (*Alarmed at a little alliteration?)
Continue Reading: Notre Dame-Ohio State Fiesta Bowl produced 19 NFL draft picks
