To many, it seemed like a near lock that Penn State cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] would make school history by being the first defensive back selected in the first round of an NFL draft. But as the picks went by one by one and NFL franchises made their first-round selections in the 2023 NFL draft, Porter Jr. never heard his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
No Penn State player did, in fact.
After having three players selected in the first round of the last two drafts, Penn State drew a blank on the first night of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday night. Porter Jr. was the only Nittany Lion expected to be selected somewhere in the first round, which did see a number of cornerbacks selected. But Porter’s NFL dreams will be put on hold until the second day of the draft, when it is essentially guaranteed he will be picked up by an NFL franchise in the second round.
Porter Jr. could be one of a few Penn State players going in the second or third round as the draft continues on Friday. Tight end Brenton Strange, defensive linemen PJ Mustipher and Nick Tarburton are all names to keep an eye on, as well as wide receiver Parker Washington.
Porter Jr. wasn’t the only draft prospect who fell hard on the first night of the draft. Former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] was in the infamous spotlight all night long. After an early run of quarterbacks with three in the first four picks, Levis was seen on camera for the rest of the night as teams moved in other directions for the remainder of the first round.
But maybe this all gives players like Porter Jr. and Levis an extra chip on their shoulders. Some NFL franchise is going to be getting some good players on day two, and winning franchises tend to strike gold in these rounds to fill out a deep roster. We’ll see what day two of the draft has to offer.
For now, the waiting game continues.
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