Category: PSU in NFL

NFL Draft: 5 things to know about Jahan Dotson and the Washington Commanders

5 quick NFL draft facts about Jahan Dotson, Penn State and the Washington Commanders

Penn State wide receivers appear to be trending upward in NFL draft stock. As the 2022 NFL draft hit the midway point of its first round, [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] continued that upward trend by becoming the first receiver from Penn State to be selected in the first round in nearly two decades.

The Washignton Commanders used a first-round pick to select one of the top receivers to come out of Penn State, and easily the best wide receiver to play for James Franklin yet. Here are five quick facts about Dotson, Washignton, and some Penn State draft history.

Twitter reacts to Jahan Dotson being drafted by Washington Commanders in first round

Twitter reacts to the Washignton Commanders drafting Jahan Dotson from Penn State

Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was the first Penn State player selected in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Washignton Commanders selected Dotson with the No. 16 overall pick at the midway point of the first round of the draft in Las Vegas, and Penn State Twitter erupted for one of Penn State’s best wide receivers in program history.

Dotson was just one of the many wide receivers hearing his name called in the first round of an eventful first round of the NFL draft, and his selection by Washington was sure to cause some reaction from his newest fans and Penn State fans.

2022 NFL Draft: Jahan Dotson drafted by Washington Commanders

Jahan Dotson was selected by Washington Commanders in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

One of Penn State’s top all-time wide receivers is now officially an NFL player. [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Washington Commanders with the No. 16 pick in the first round.

Dotson accounted for 2,757 career receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns (27 total touchdowns) in four seasons with Penn State. Dotson is Penn State’s fourth all-time leader in career receiving yards and is tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns in school history. Only [autotag]Bobby Engram[/autotag] has more touchdowns than Dotson in Penn State history.

Dotson is the first wide receiver from Penn State to be selected in the first round since 2003 when [autotag]Bryant Johnson[/autotag] was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 17th overall pick. Dotson is the fourth wide receiver from Penn State to ever be selected in the first round, joining Johnson, [autotag]O.J. McDuffie[/autotag] (1993, Miami Dolphins), and [autotag]Kenny Jackson[/autotag] (1984, Philadelphia Eagles).

Dotson is now the first wide receiver to be coached by James Franklin to be selected in the first round. Dotson is also Franklin’s highest-draft pick at receiver, beating out KJ Hamler (No. 46 overall in 2020) and Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt, No. 42 overall in 2014).

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NFL Draft: Adrian Amos looking for some Penn State teammates with Packers

Adrian Amos would love if the Green Bay Packers drafted a Penn State player

The NFL draft is upon us and Penn State is expecting to have a good number of players get some life-changing phone calls during the course of the three-day event. And naturally, a number of former Nittany Lions are looking to see if their NFL teams will be plucking some talent out of Happy Valley to be part of the future.

Among those wondering if a Penn State player will be joining him by way of the draft is [autotag]Adrian Amos[/autotag], with the Green Bay Packers. Amos could use a few more members of the Penn State family joining him in Green Bay. As of now, Amos is one of two Penn State players on the roster. Center [autotag]Michael Menet[/autotag] is also on the roster. Menet was signed by the Packers in January but was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals late in the 2021 NFL draft.

Amos was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, but he joined the Packers after the 2018 season.

The Packers have drafted 12 Penn State players since 1949. The most recent Penn State player drafted by the Packers was tight end Andrew Quarless with a fifth-round pick in 2010. The last player before that drafted by the Packers out of Penn State was defensive back Bhawoh Jue in 2001 (third round). With that being the case, the odds would seem to suggests the Packers may not be drafting a Penn State player this weekend, but a handful of players would appear to be some good fits on the Packers roster.

Amos, like the rest of us, will just have to watch and find out who will be joining him in Green Bay.

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NFL mock draft roundup: Where everyone is projecting Arnold Ebiketie in 2022 NFL draft

Where does Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie fall in some notable mock drafts?

One of the biggest drivers of draft week has been [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] who may even find himself in round one now.

His physical tools highlighted by his bend on the edge and high motor is what has teams most excited. In the right spot he could contribute from day one and while some may see him as a project, they may look at [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag] and see the same thing. 

Oweh was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens last year and was seen as a project, the project turned out to be NFL ready and collected 33 tackles and five sacks. Ebiketie could be having the same time of projection and his draft stock may give us all a clue into who may be interested and the role he could have to produce.

Micah Parsons had an awkward moment dropping the puck for the Hershey Bears

Micah Parsons had a 50 Cent moment while dropping the puck before a hockey game

Baseball is known for having a special guest throwing out a ceremonial first pitch that is so bad that it goes viral for years. Hockey has its version of that with the dropping of the puck, and former Penn State linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] had one of the all-time worst dropping of the puck moments ever.

Parsons was a special guest of the Hershey Bears, an AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, and was asked to drop the puck prior to the start of the game. The carpet was all rolled out for the Harrisburg native and the crowd reacted with a nice ovation for the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year. The Bears even gave Parsons a complimentary custom jersey.

Parsons, however, appeared to be a man on a mission and wasn’t about to waste too much time with the pregame festivities.

Parsons walked out to the end of the rug on the ice and, before a player representative from either team could meet him at center ice, Parsons did what he was asked to do and dropped the puck.

After looking around a little confused, a player skated over and handed the puck back to Parsons so he could properly drop the puck as is custom. It was a bit of an awkward scene, but one Parsons seemed to take in stride.

The Hershey Bears took their Twitter account and apologized for not really explaining what “drop the puck” actually entailed to their guest of honor.

The Penn State football Twitter account chimed in with a reaction of its own…

Don’t think this moment went by unnoticed by other members of the Penn State football family either. [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] was among those poking fun at the former Penn State linebacker.

Here’s hoping the next time Parsons is asked to help with the pregame festivities, he’s given a detailed rundown of just what is being asked of him.

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NFL mock draft roundup: Where everyone is projecting Jahan Dotson in 2022 NFL draft

Jahan Dotson is widely considered to be the first Penn State player chosen in the 2022 NFL draft, but will he go in the first round?

[autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] is undoubtedly the star of this year’s Penn State NFL draft class as the group waits to hear their names called this week. Dotson proved to step up after the departure of [autotag]K.J. Hamler[/autotag] for the NFL and not he hopes to be the higher draftee.

None of the recent Penn State receivers have been drafted in round one, despite that though they have all performed for the most part. Dotson is getting projected heavily into round one but it is late in round one. By going late he gets the benefit of having a good team to go to and a good quarterback as well.

How much he produces as a rookie is yet to be seen but it seems that he may have the most favorable landing spot of anyone in a talented and deep rookie wide receiver class.

PHOTOS: Penn State’s first round NFL draft picks since joining the Big Ten

From LaVar Arrington and Kerry Collins to Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons, Penn State has had some big names drafted in the first round by NFL teams over the years.

After seeing two players be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, with [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag], Penn State is hoping to see at least one more player go in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. And there is a good chance a Nittany Lion will be selected in the first round with wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] each being viewed as potential first-round selections.

Penn State has a history of developing NFL talent at all positions, but the school may not have quite as many first-round draft picks as you might have originally thought. Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has had 19 players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Three players highlighted the top 10 of the 1995 draft following Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season. In 2003, Penn State players were selected with four first-round picks by NFL teams.

A Penn State player has been selected with the top overall pick twice in the Big Ten era of the program. Running back [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] was the first pick of the 1995 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, who traded up to make the move. In 2003, Penn State’s massive defensive lineman [autotag]Courtney Brown[/autotag] was the first pick of the draft by the Cleveland Browns. His teammate, linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag], followed as the No. 2 pick of Washington.

Here is a look at each first-round draft pick out of Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.

WATCH: Former Nittany Lion Shareef Miller makes nice defensive play in USFL

WATCH: Former Penn State QB breaks down replay of former PSU DL in USFL broadcast

The USFL officially kicked off a new era of spring football this weekend, and those paying attention to Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Breakers and Philadelphia Stars may have seen some familiar names. In the broadcast booth for USA’s coverage of the game was former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag], who has enjoyed a nice career in sports media since his playing days came to an end in the NFL. But one player looking to keep his career going, [autotag]Shareef Miller[/autotag], was seen making a nice defensive play in the backfield for New Orleans.

And Robinson was more than happy to break down the play and give a little shoutout to the alma mater.

Miller had 100 career tackles during his time at Penn State, between 2015 and 2018. Miller was a three-star recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2015, and he finished his career with two solid back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018 with 5.5 sacks and 7.5 sacks, respectively.

Miller went on to be a fourth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL draft. After just one season, Miller was waived by the Eagles just before the start of the 2020 season. He was quickly signed by the Carolina Panthers and spent one season with the team before being waived once again and returning to the Eagles as a practice squad member. Miller was released again by the Eagles in December 2020, and he made a couple more quick stops with NFL franchises in Arizona and Atlanta before being drafted by the New Orleans Breakers in the inaugural USFL draft.

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Former Nittany Lion Robert Windsor retires from the NFL

Former Penn State Nittany Lion Robert Windsor announced his retirement from football.

In 2019, HBO converted their hit 24/7 series to the college game and followed Penn State around for a week and we all got to see the personality that was [autotag]Robert Windsor[/autotag]. Windsor was a staple on the Nittany Lions defensive front and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Sadly his NFL career has come to a close already.

Windsor took to Twitter this week to announce that after just two seasons, his body won’t allow him to continue playing football.

In the post, Windsor says…

9 months ago, I had 2 major surgeries — one on my hip and one on my groin,…both were extensive, and the recovery process has been an arduous one. After months of rehabbing, I’m still not where I need to be to compete on the football field.

I wish I still had more to give to the game that has given me so much, but sadly things don’t last forever and my time to retire has come. I am entering this phase of life with gratitude and ready to start my journey to self-discovery and healing.

Windsor only was able to get two tackles in his short career in Indianapolis. He was on the injured reserve last season and only played in two games his rookie year in 2020. He was much more productive during his time at Penn State where he was a four-year starter.

During his four years as a starter, he totaled 120 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and 13 sacks. He was also voted a 2nd team All-Big Ten member in 2019 but fans who saw him on the 24/7 series may remember him most notably for his admiration for fish sandwiches from The Field Burger and Tap in State College.

Windsor also graduated with two degrees from Penn State, one in Telecommunications and one in Media Studies. With his personality, those degrees may come in handy. We wish Robert Windsor a healthy and fun retirement from football as he transitions away from the game, that in his words, has been the last 17 years of his life.

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