If all goes well for Chase Young Thursday night, he will be the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Young’s selection will be the continuation of decades of NFL draft success for Ohio State, which began all the way back in 1936. Two years later, Jim McDonald, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound halfback and quarterback, was taken second by the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the Buckeyes’ first top 10 pick.

Eighty-two years later, only three OSU players have been taken higher — Tom Cousineau (1979), Dan Wilkinson (1994), and Orlando Pace (1997), the program’s three No. 1 overall selections. Only Nick Bosa has been taken second.

McDonald’s NFL career was insignificant. He lasted two years, never playing a down for the Eagles. Instead, he joined the Detroit Lions, where he had 25 carries for 80 yards and seven receptions for 122 yards.

His post-playing career included an eight-year stint as an assistant coach at Tennessee. In 1963, McDonald was the Vols’ head coach, leading them to a 5-5 season. He stepped down after one year and remained at Tennessee as an assistant athletic director.

McDonald died at the age of 81 in 1997.

Despite being in the Ohio State Varsity “O” Hall of Fame, McDonald is largely a forgotten figure in the school’s rich history. He was a captain and All-American in 1937. During his three years, Ohio State won the Big Ten championship in 1935, its first since 1920, and finished second in 1936 and 1937.

Perhaps more importantly, the Buckeyes were 3-0 against rival Michigan, beating the Wolverines by a combined score of 80-0.

When football season ended, McDonald didn’t retreat to his campus dorm. His quick-change wasn’t Clark Kent levels, but McDonald did swap out football equipment for a basketball uniform. A three-year starter at guard, he was a captain of the 1937-38 team.

Some people have referred to Young as Superman, but even he didn’t captain the football and basketball teams.

First Published April 22, 2020, 11:48 p.m.