Ohio State defenders Reese, Styles and Downs all land in the NFC East
EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. (AP) — Sharing the field for two college seasons, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs helped Ohio State win a national title powered by a dominant defense.
More than a year removed from that celebration, as Downs reminded his two former teammates on NFL draft night, they are now the competition. A domino effect in the first round landed them all in the same division, the NFC East. Reese fell to the New York Giants at No.
5, the Washington Commanders took Styles two picks later after Kansas City leapfrogged them for another prospect and the Dallas Cowboys traded up to get Downs at No. 11. “It's a blessing,” Reese said at his introductory news conference Friday.
"That means a lot that we get to play in the same division, grow against each other, compete with each other. That’s all we ever did at Ohio State. ” They also did a lot of winning together, going 30-4 at Ohio State, including the College Football Playoff national championship game victory against Notre Dame in January 2025.
“We had like-minded people: guys who love football, love to win, love their brothers,” Styles said Friday at the Commanders' facility in Ashburn, Virginia. "When you have good people off the field and like-minded on the field, good things happen and it’s easy to gel. ” The Buckeyes had four players chosen in the top 11, with Carnell Tate being the first wide receiver taken at No.