“Could have had a role”: Ryan Day shares possible reason behind Seth McLaughlin going undrafted in 2025 NFL draft

The 2025 NFL draft was held over the weekend, and over 200 college prospects now have the opportunity to play professional. One player who missed out on having his name called within the seven rounds was Ohio State Buckeyes' Seth McLaughlin.

Speaking about McLaughlin going undrafted, Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke to journalist Chase Brown, who wrote the following on X:

"Ryan Day shared some of his takeaways from the 2025 NFL draft, including one about Seth McLaughlin: 'I don't think Seth should have gone undrafted,' Day said, acknowledging that McLaughlin's Achilles injury could have had a role in him not being selected."

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McLaughlin was one of the most talented members of any offensive line available in the 2025 NFL draft. A two-time national champion, he spent the first four years of his career with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Then, McLaughlin decided to transfer from Alabama to Ohio State for his senior year.

However, what was meant to be a standout season for him turned sour at the worst possible time. Just before the Buckeyes' important game with the Indiana Hoosiers in November, McLaughlin suffered a torn Achilles injury that ruled him out of the season. This meant that he missed the entire playoff run of the Buckeyes.

According to Day, this is the reason why McLaughlin went undrafted. If he played in the important and nationally televised games that the Buckeyes had in December and January, the whole country would have seen how good he was. This would have very much sealed his draft pick.

In the end, while McLaughlin wasn't drafted, he is still on the roster for an NFL team. The Cincinnati Bengals have picked him up as an undrafted free agent.

Ryan Day on the Ohio State Buckeyes' NFL draft

Throughout the entire 2025 NFL draft, the Ohio State Buckeyes had 14 players taken. This ties the school record set in 2004. Four of these players were taken in the first round. On the Buckeyes' performance in the draft, Ryan Day said the following:

"We got unbelievable feedback from so many NFL personnel about our guys," Day said. "It was clear these teams appreciated how unselfish they were and how much they praised their teammates."

However, Day's attention now turns to the upcoming season and defending their national championship. They start the season against the Texas Longhorns, the team they beat to reach the national championship game last year.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos