Penn State’s tradition of sending defensive linemen off to the NFL draft continued on Thursday night with Arnold Ebiketie being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Ebiketie was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 38 pick on Thursday night.
Ebiketie transferred to Penn State for the 2021 season after a solid career with the Temple Owls. In his one season at Penn State, Ebiketie quickly became a playmaker on defense and managed to take another step in his development as a player to help fill the void by another first-round draft pick, Odafe Oweh.
Ebiketie recorded 62 tackles, 34 of which were solo tackles, during the 2021 season for the strong Penn State defense. Ebiketie showed a terrific ability to make plays in the backfield with 18.0 tackles for a loss, with 9.5 sacks to lead the Nittany Lions.
The talented defensive lineman also forced two fumbles for Penn State a year after forcing three for the Temple Owls in just six games in 2020.
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