Making Monsters Draft Series: Ohio State's Kayden McDonald, Davison Igbinosun & Caden Curry

April 12, 2026·22 min·2 clips

Caleb Downs was the best safety in college football and the biggest reason Ohio State had the number one defense.

1. Making Monsters Episode covers Ohio State prospects relevant to the Chicago Bears' pick at number 25 in the 2026 NFL Draft, hosted by Taylor Dahl with Dan Hope of 11 Warriors as guest. 2. Dan Hope is the lead Ohio State beat writer for 11 Warriors, a Buckeyes-focused site; he covered Ohio State across both of its back-to-back number-one defense seasons. 3. The episode's core question is which Ohio State prospects fit the Bears' needs at pick 25 and in the middle rounds, given that several elite Buckeyes will be gone before Chicago picks. 4. Hope rates safety Caleb Downs as a potential top-10 pick and the biggest individual reason Ohio State's defense ranked number one nationally in each of the last two seasons. 5. Edge rusher Arvell Reese is projected by Hope as potentially the first Buckeye off the board, possibly as high as number two overall, after a consensus All-American season playing a hybrid linebacker-edge role. 6. Linebacker Sonny Stiles became a likely top-10 pick after testing well at the Combine; Hope notes Stiles had not missed a tackle all year until the final game of the season. 7. Wide receiver Carnell Tate is projected as the sixth Ohio State receiver drafted in round one over a five-year span; Hope highlights his downfield threat ability after emerging as a starter opposite Jeremiah Smith. 8. Nose tackle Caden McDonald transferred from Georgia, waited behind Tyleek Williams and Ty Hamilton before getting his first start against Texas, and then posted 65 tackles with 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks as a unanimous All-American. 9. Hope says McDonald compares favorably to Tyleek Williams physically but was a more dominant run stopper, and argues the Bears' poor run defense in 2025 — with aging Andrew Billings and injured Grady Jarrett — makes him an ideal fit. 10. McDonald's first career start against Texas saw him record 8 tackles while 'throwing guards around'; Hope says that film is the definitive reference for evaluating his pro ceiling. 11. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun led the entire nation in defensive penalties in 2024 but cut that number by more than half in 2025; Hope notes former Ohio State coordinator Jim Knowles claimed they put oven mitts on his hands in practice, which Igbinosun denied at his Pro Day. 12. Hope explains the NFL spot-foul pass-interference rule makes Igbinosun's penalty tendency especially dangerous at the pro level, where opponents will throw deep specifically to draw flags. 13. Hope credits Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton with addressing Igbinosun's penalty problem by focusing on positioning rather than hand discipline, and notes Igbinosun earned All-Big Ten recognition in his final season despite the ongoing concern. 14. Edge rusher Caden Curry played behind Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau before becoming a three-down starter in his final year, posting 53 tackles and 9 sacks; Hope compares him to Sawyer, a fourth-round pick the prior year. 15. Curry ran a 4.78 forty-yard dash and played kickoff coverage for three years as a defensive end, which Hope cites as a marker of his motor and athleticism relative to his size. 16. Hope argues Curry projects as a productive rotational defender who can set the edge against the run even if he will not reach 10 sacks per year as a pro. 17. Sleeper pick: tight end Will Kesmarick is a blocking specialist who Hope compares to Luke Farrell of the 49ers and projects as a fifth-or-sixth-round pick who will contribute on special teams and in multi-tight-end run sets. 18. The episode is interview-format with a single expert guest; tone is informational and specific to Bears fans tracking Ohio State talent in this draft class. 19. Chicago Bears fans monitoring mid-round draft targets with Ohio State connections would find this episode most useful. 20. Listeners unfamiliar with Ohio State's 2025 defensive roster or the Bears' specific positional needs would require background context to follow most of the episode.

As heard by us

A draft-room conversation that turns Buckeyes talent into a Bears roster question.

Taylor Dahl keeps the focus on Ohio State draft talk and makes it feel like a roster discussion, not just a prospect rundown. With Dan Hope alongside, the episode lands best when it moves from the Bears pick at 25 into the practical questions: what Ohio State has been producing,…

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Why you'd press play

Bears pick at 25, Buckeyes tape, and one nose tackle who keeps showing up on film.

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