The improbable nature of Indiana football's 2025 national championship under coach Curt Cignetti was affirmed at the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. The first round affirmed -- in case anyone doubted the point -- that the Ohio State Buckeyes had more high-end talent than the Hoosiers. Indiana was simply better-coached.
Ohio State's defense was so good -- in 2025 generally, and specifically against Indiana -- that No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza managed only 13 points against the Buckeyes. OSU's defensive talent was second to none in college football last season. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs all went off the board in the first 11 picks.
Ohio State had the first receiver off the board at this draft, with Carnell Tate going to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. The Buckeyes had a high-end threat on their offense. Combined with that knockout defense, it should have been enough to defeat just about any team, including Indiana.
Indiana had a lot of good defensive players on its 2025 roster, but none were picked in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. Only offensive players -- Mendoza at No. 1 and receiver Omar Cooper at 30 -- went off the board for the Hoosiers.
The NFL draft first-round-pick scoreboard: Ohio State 4, Indiana 2. The Buckeyes had more elite football players than Indiana. They still couldn't beat the Hoosiers.
Ohio State did something no Big Ten football program had done in nearly 60 years. In 1967, Michigan State placed four players in the top 11 of the NFL draft. OSU finally matched that feat in 2026 with Tate, Reese, Styles and Downs.
Coaching's central task, if boiled down to its essence, is to maximize the talent of every player so that the team is greater than the sum of its parts. Curt Cignetti clearly did that, and Ryan Day did not -- at least not on offense, and not to the same extent Cignetti did at Indiana.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Ohio State football's NFL draft dominance magnifies Curt Cignetti