In conversations about Justin Fields leading up to this year’s draft, one narrative has come up over and over again: Ohio State quarterbacks don’t succeed in the NFL.
From a historic perspective, it’s true. In the NFL’s modern era, no player who finished his college career at Ohio State has established himself as a long-term starting quarterback in the league. Mike Tomczak leads all Buckeyes with 73 career starts across 15 NFL seasons, but he never started a full 16-game season and threw more interceptions (106) than touchdowns (88).
Ohio State quarterbacks have had a poor track record in the NFL for decades, and the scarlet letter attached to the scarlet and gray at that position has only gotten bigger since the Washington Football Team released Dwayne Haskins in December, less than two years after drafting him with the 15th overall pick.