Tag: Arnold Ebiketie

PSU in NFL: Week 2 moments from former Penn State players

Here are the top NFL Week 2 moments from former Penn State players.

We are through another week of the NFL season, and it was another good week for not just veterans/former Nittany Lions, but for the rookies as well. Everywhere you look around the NFL, you are bound to see a former Penn State player making some big plays around the league. This past weekend was no exception to that concept.

[autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] once again showed why he is such a valuable asset to the Dallas Cowboys on defense, and rookie [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] had an active afternoon against the Green Bay Packers. A handful of former Nittany Lions reached the end zone as well, including [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] and [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag], two of the best wide receivers in program history.

It was an eventful weekend of NFL football for these former Nittany Lions, and things are just warming up.

Here are the top NFL Week 2 moments from former Penn State Nittany Lions players.

Who are the experts picking in Penn State’s matchup at Auburn?

The experts seem to agree on who will be winning this weekend’s Penn State-Auburn game.

Penn State takes on Auburn for the second year in a row. The Nittany Lions came away with a 28–20 win last year at home for the white out. This year, they’re on the road to take on the Tigers.

So, who are the experts picking for the matchup this time around? Let’s take a look.

To start, ESPN is giving Penn State a 61.7% and Auburn a 38.3% to win the game.

Both teams lost key players to the transfer portal and the NFL.

Let’s start with Auburn. Quarterback TJ Finley was still on the team last year but he was backing up Bo Nix, who is now the starting quarterback at Oregon. The Tigers still have Tank Bigsby, but it’s worth noting he almost transferred from the program over the offseason.

As for Penn State, its biggest piece lost on offense is [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag]. However, it brought in Western Kentucky transfer wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. And you could certainly make the argument that the offense is stronger this year. On defense, the Nittany Lions lost key players [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag]. This will be another big test to see how well Penn State can adapt to the departure of those players.

Let’s head back to our predictions from experts. Heading over to College Football News, its experts have Penn State winning, 27-23, in another close one.

Lastly, we have the writers over at Athlon Sports. All three of its writers picked the Nittany Lions to defeat the Tigers on Auburn’s home turf.

Even though many of these experts have Penn State winning, they still predicted to be a close game. After all, Auburn only lost by eight points last year at Beaver Stadium. Will we see a similar score or deficit this year? Some of the experts seem to think so.

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PSU in NFL: Week 1 highlights from former Penn State players

Here are the top performances by former Penn State players from Week 1 of the NFL season.

We are through Week 1 of the NFL season and, boy, what a day it was to be a Penn State fan! There were plenty of former Nittany Lions that had impressive days in their first games of the 2022 NFL season.

Here are the top performances by former Penn State players from Week 1 of the NFL season.

Every Penn State player on an NFL opening day roster in 2022

Here is every former Penn State plater on an NFL roster to start the new NFL season in 2022.

The start of a new season in the National Football League is here and there will be a good amount of Penn State flavor throughout the league this season. Penn State will have the eighth most players on an NFL opening day roster this season with 34 players appearing on an NFL team’s 53-man roster to start the season (plus two additional players on injured reserve and another on the physically unable to perform list). In all, Penn State claims 44 players are on NFL rosters to start the year with the inclusion of practice squad players.

That includes nine players who were on the Penn State roster in 2021, including wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag]. Dotson is one of four Penn State players on the Washington Commanders, the most of any NFL franchise to start the season.

Former kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continues to be the elder statesman of the Nittany Lions football family in the NFL. Gould, of the San Francisco 49ers, is entering his 19th season in the NFL.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on either an NFL team’s 53-man roster or practice squad at the start of the 2022 season.

Madden NFL ratings for Penn State’s rookie class are here

What are the Madden NFL rating for rookies from Penn State in 2022?

The release of the Madden NFL franchise each and every year is greeted with both excitement and disdain it appears. Excitement over the new game with plenty of updates but disdain with the ratings at launch. This year more than ever have we seen Madden ratings in the news and for good reason.

This year’s rookie class out of Penn State is deeper than usual which means we have more traits and ratings to look at. The round a player is selected on usually plays a big part in his rating as well as his position.

At the top of the list will be Jahan Dotson after being the first selected, the rest of the order could be any which way. Enjoy where your Penn State Nittany Lions are in this year’s Madden game.

PHOTOS: Penn State rookies working through first training camp

Check out these images of former Penn State players getting work done in their first NFL training camps.

NFL training camps are in full swing which means that this year’s rookie class is getting it’s first taste of the NFL. No better time especially given the heat wave the entire country is facing but the sweat they pour in camp will just make them better players and further impress the staffs that selected them in April.

On social media we have seen several big plays already being made by [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] with his new team the Washington Commanders. Reports everywhere else are also glowing of [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] with Atlanta and [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] with Carolina.

As the training camp goes on and we see more and more of these guys, especially in preseason games, why not get a quick first glimpse. Some early images from NFL training camps of the 2022 NFL draft class that James Franklin and his staff produced.

Falcons sign second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie

The Falcons signed second-round draft pick Arnold Ebiketie on Thursday. A standout EDGE at PSU, Ebiketie should fight for a starting job.

The Atlanta Falcons signed second-round draft pick Arnold Ebiketie on Thursday. A standout at Penn State, Ebiketie is expected to compete for a starting job at outside linebacker this season after the Falcons traded up to pick No. 38 to acquire him back in April.

Ebiketie had 9.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for the Nittany Lions last season. Atlanta released Dante Fowler Jr. and let Steven Means walk during free agency, freeing up both starting OLB spots.

Ebiketie’s elite athleticism was one of his biggest draws coming out of college.

“Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State and proved his 2020 production was no fluke, wrote Pro Football Focus. “He beat up on quality tackles en route to a 90.5 pass-rushing grade and 52 pressures.”

The Falcons signed Lorenzo Carter, who’s expected to start at the other outside linebacker spot this season. Atlanta also drafted EDGE DeAngelo Malone out of Western Kentucky in the third round.

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How many new starters did the Falcons acquire this offseason?

Which Falcons offseason additions are most likely to start for the team in 2022?

Due to a nightmarish salary cap situation, the Atlanta Falcons had no choice but to move on from several key members of their 2016 Super Bowl run over the last few offseasons.

With Matt Ryan, Foye Oluokun, Russell Gage, Calvin Ridley and Hayden Hurst all out of the picture, the Falcons will rely on a combination of free agents and rookies this season.

So how many of Atlanta’s new faces are on track to start for Arthur Smith in 2022? Here’s our list of projected Falcons starters who were added over the offseason.

Brandon Smith signs rookie contract with Carolina Panthers

Another former Penn State player drafted in the 2022 NFL draft has signed his rookie contract.

Former Penn State linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] became the latest Penn State draft pick to officially sign his rookie contract last week. Smith, a fourth-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, signed his contract to officially begin his professional career.

Smith signed a four-year contract valued at $4.4 million and will be an unrestricted free agent beginning in 2026. Smith will be paid a base salary of $705,000 in the 2022 season. That annual base salary will increase to &870,000 in 2023, to $985,000 in 2024, and up to $1.1 million in 2025.

The Panthers have also given Smith a signing bonus of $756,548 that will be paid in even distributions of $189,137 annually over the course of his four-year contract. The signing bonus is guaranteed in full as well.

There are now just two Penn State players drafted in the 2022 NFL draft still to be signed by their teams. Defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] (Atlanta Falcons) and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] (Chicago Bears) are still unsigned.

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Penn State snapshot profile: No. 36 Zuriah Fisher

Snapshot profile: Where Zuriah Fisher looks to improve in 2022 for Penn State’s defensive line

Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.

The next player is Penn State defensive end [autotag]Zuriah Fisher[/autotag]. The Nittany Lions will have an intriguing room full of defensive ends and some quite big shoes to fill.

Their biggest losses there are [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag]. Now, Penn State will look to fill those shoes next season, with Fisher hopefully being one of them.