3 best Ohio State Quarterbacks to play in the NFL
Ohio State University is historically one of the top college football programs in the country. Every year they send several players to the NFL Draft and many of them have gone on to have great success at the professional level.
Quarterbacks don't necessarily fit that same narrative.
Ohio State has had plenty of great college quarterbacks in school history but they have not found the same success at the NFL level. Eleven Ohio State quarterbacks have made it to the NFL with a combined 79-99-1 career records as starters.
Nine of the eleven have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in their NFL careers.
The current lone NFL starting quarterback from Ohio State University is trying to shed the label. He wants to prove that their success in college can translate to the professional stage.
He is one of the three greatest Ohio State quarterbacks of all time and could eventually be the first to be elite in the NFL.
Top 3 Ohio State quarterbacks of all time that made it to the NFL
#3 - Dwayne Haskins
Dwayne Haskins was the starting quarterback at Ohio State for just one year in 2018 but it was the best statistical season in the school's history. He set the Buckeyes' single-season all-time record in passing yards, total yards, completion percentage and passing touchdowns.
He also set a Big Ten Conference record with 4,831 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns.
C.J. Stroud has thrown for 3,468 yards and 36 touchdowns in 10 games, ranking second and third for a single season in Ohio State history, respectively.
Dwayne Haskins: 4,831
C.J. Stroud: 3,468
Joe Germaine: 3,330
Dwayne Haskins: 50
Justin Fields: 41
C.J. Stroud: 36
Haskins was selected by the Washington Football Team in 2019 for the NFL Draft. He started 16 games over two seasons, completing just 60 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
He is now a back-up quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
#2 - Troy Smith
Troy Smith was the last player from Ohio State to win the Heisman Trophy in 2006, college football's greatest individual honor. It is also the last time a player from the Big Ten Conference won the award.
Smith did so by completing 65 percent of his passes for 2,542 passing yards and throwing 44 of his 54 career passing touchdowns.
Troy Smith never ended up being productive as an NFL quarterback. He started just eight games across four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.
He completed just 52 percent of his career passes.
#1 - Justin Fields
In two years as a starter at Ohio State, Justin Fields had an incredible 20-2 overall record. He never lost a regular-season game, with both losses coming in the College Football Playoffs.
His 2019 season set a new school record for passer rating at 181.4 and his 63 touchdown passes are the second most in school history.
It’s Justin Fields team now… 🐻⬇️ https://t.co/h9QMlJwL4I
Justin Fields was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He is just getting started in the NFL, logging just ten starts so far in his rookie season.
He appears to be improving on a weekly basis as he looks to end the trend of failed Ohio State quarterbacks in the NFL.