With the NFL Draft set to begin this Thursday, nearly a dozen former Penn State football players will hope to hear their names called over the course of the weekend, turning a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL that much closer to reality.
For the likes of Jahan Dotson, Jaquan Brisker and Arnold Ebiketie, the trio seems destined to be selected in the early stages of the draft, greatly increasingly the likelihood that they will one day see the field in an NFL game.
As for the rest, the draft is equal parts the realization of a dream and the next step in a long journey towards a future in the NFL. To be sure, every player who is drafted or signed will have to prove his worth, but the moment is no less special for these group of players.
Generally speaking Thursday night’s opening round could feature no, one or two Nittany Lions depending on how things shake out. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, receiver Jahan Dotson is projected to go 31st overall as a net average among multiple mock drafts across the board. Some places have Dotson going as high as No. 17 to the New Orleans Saints while others have slotted Dotson in somewhere later in the first round to Green Bay with the 29th or 30th pick.
Rest assured, if Dotson doesn’t go in Day 1, he will almost certainly go early in Day 2. Dotson going in the first road would be the first Penn State receiver to do so since Bryant Johnson went No. 17 overall in 2003.
Defensive end Arnold Ebiketie could also hear his name called in Day 1, although most mock drafts have the former Temple transfer going early to midway through the second round.
Like always, the longer the draft goes on, the harder it is to truly know how things will shake out. Safety Jaquan Brisker is also slotted for a second round selection but beyond that the rest is a bit of a guess.
Here is where NFL Mock Draft Database has each draft eligible Nittany Lion going this weekend, averaging out mock drafts across the internet. The first round begins at 8 p.m. eastern on ESPN.
Jahan Dotson: First round, No. 31
Arnold Ebiketie: Second round, No. 37
Jaquan Brisker: Second round, No. 51
Rasheed Walker: Fourth round, No. 105
Brandon Smith: Fourth round, No. 112
Tariq Castro-Fields: Fifth round, No. 143
Jesse Luketa: Fifth round, No. 63
Undrafted Free Agents: Ellis Brooks, Jordan Stout, Drew Hartlaub, Derrick Tangelo
