The Ohio State football program is coming off a special weekend for the team where 11 former Buckeyes heard their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Ohio State had four players drafted in the top 11 picks alone with Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs all going early. 

Ohio State has now had 25 players drafted over the last two years alone and they should again see a high number head off to the league in 2027. One of those players who would ideally be making the jump is QB Julian Sayin, however, the latest development isn’t exactly great for him.

Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft says a lot about Ohio State QB Julian Sayin 

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler who is what I would call the top NFL Draft analyst in the media space. He is not only a terrific evaluator, but he also has relationships with people in the NFL who have an impact on what players are drafted every year. Brugler put out his first way-too-early mock draft for the 2027 cycle and Sayin’s name was nowhere to be found. 

If you’re starting for two years at Ohio State, the goal has to be to become a first-round pick. Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud both did it with Ryan Day around. Of course, there’s every opportunity for Sayin to do so during the 2026 college football season, but right now there are major questions on his incomplete draft profile. 

Sayin is a one-year starter to this point with 14 games under his belt and he put up terrific numbers last year to be a Heisman Trophy runner-up. The Alabama transfer completed 77 percent of his passes for 3,610 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Ohio State’s schedule last season didn’t offer much challenge until the final two games of the year, and they were uneven performances that resulted in losses for the Buckeyes to Indiana and Miami.

Julian Sayin will be drafted in Round __ 💭 pic.twitter.com/Tx6nVdWNNJ

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) April 26, 2026

Scouting view on Ohio State’s Julian Sayin

Julian Sayin went into the 2025 college football season with some really high expectations. The former five-star recruit mostly lived up to those lofty expectations for a first-year starting quarterback, becoming one of the more accurate signal callers in all of college football. He plays with efficient footwork and understands where he has an advantage offensively. There is a ton to love about Sayin as a college quarterback heading into next season, especially after earning an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony a year ago.

As a potential 2027 NFL Draft prospect, however, the conversation is much different. While his accuracy is attractive, Sayin has some clear physical deficiencies that could limit him as a draft prospect. He is a smaller quarterback who lacks the arm strength to consistently fit into tight window throws in the middle of the field. You also see the limitations with that arm strength when pushing vertically, routinely hanging footballs up in the air, and forcing his wide receivers to make unreal adjustments coming back to the ball. Add in the fact that Sayin is an underwhelming athlete who can struggle against pressure, and we are dealing with an underdeveloped physical profile that could very much hold him back.

While the media and general public will hype Sayin up as a legitimate high-end prospect, this feels like a guy who is unlikely to enter the 2027 class. Barring some insane physical jump, I would expect Sayin to head back to college football during the 2027 season. Only time will tell what his future holds after next season, but I doubt it is as a Top-10 selection next April. — Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports

The good news for Julian Sayin is that he controls his own path 

Ohio State has a tough schedule in 2026 and it’s going to be a great chance for Sayin to strengthen his draft profile. The Buckeyes will play road games against Texas, Indiana, and USC in 2026 with Michigan and USC also expected to be tough matchups. These are the games NFL evaluators are going to be watching when they’re scoring Buckeyes next year. 

Sayin didn’t show much with the legs last season, but he has a chance to do it in 2026. Ryan Day has preached all offseason about the running ability and Sayin having to be able to get out of the pocket and make plays. The spring game showed some glimpses of Sayin doing this in the spring game. Sayin using his legs in 2026 is not only the best-case scenario for Ohio State, but his draft evaluation as well. 

It’s called a way too early mock draft for a reason but there are definitely major questions around Sayin’s ability to be a first-round pick next year. If he can’t be, there’s a real world where he’s playing elsewhere in 2027 and Tavien St. Clair steps in as Ohio State’s starter. It’s not what Ohio State fans want to hear, but it’s a possibility. Sayin can make all of this a moot point with what he does in 2026.