Tag: Arnold Ebiketie

Atlanta Falcons sign DT Derrick Tangelo as undrafted free agent

The Atlanta Falcons weren’t content to add just one Penn State defensive lineman in the draft, so they signed another.

Not content to have just one Penn State defensive lineman on its roster from the recent draft class, the Atlanta Falcons have reportedly signed defensive tackle [autotag]Derrick Tangelo[/autotag]. Tangelo was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons over the weekend after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL draft.

According to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the Falcons signed Tangleo to a contract valued at $55,0000.

Tangelo joins his fellow Penn State defensive lineman [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] in Atlanta. Ebiketie was drafted by the Falcons in the second round of the NFL draft after the franchise moved up in the draft order to select him. Overall, the Falcons received a good amount of praise for their draft class.

Tangelo may not have been drafted, but it was expected he would be a late-round draft pick if he was picked up by an NFL team. So the Falcons are getting a player that could be one to keep an eye on because he can play at the next level.

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Penn State had more 2022 NFL draft picks than any Big Ten team

Penn State had the most players from the Big Ten drafted in the 2022 NFL draft

Penn State may not have had as many draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft as the reigning national champions from Georgia (nobody did), but the Nittany Lions did deliver on some of the draft expectations for this most recent draft class. Penn State ended the draft with eight players selected by NFL teams, which was more than any Big Ten team had this season.

Penn State’s eight draft picks included;

  • [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], WR (Washington)
  • [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], DE (Atlanta)
  • [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag], S (Chicago)
  • [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag], LB (Carolina)
  • [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag], P (Baltimore)
  • [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag], DB (San Francisco)
  • [autotag]Rasheed Walker[/autotag], OT (Green Bay)
  • [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag], LB (Arizona)

Not a bad three-day result for Penn State, and a good way to follow up a solid draft class from 2021 as well. Penn State even had one more player drafted this year than perennial NFL factory Alabama, with the Crimson Tide ending the draft with seven players.

Penn State also had two more players drafted than Ohio State and three more than Michigan and Wisconsin.

Penn State head coach James Franklin has been on the receiving end of a good amount of criticism for not being able to win more at Penn State, and this latest draft result helps strengthen the case for the naysayers. Franklin has certainly established he can recruit among the best of them and send off that talent to the next level. But the last two seasons have failed to deliver the wins that teams with as much NFL talent as Penn State has had should be expected.

But, let’s not pretend Penn State is far removed from playing in New Years Six bowl games in three out of four years, a stretch that included a good amount of the recent NFL talent on the field or a part of the program. But it is fair to suggest Franklin and Penn State do need to redeem themselves a bit on the football field and in the win column in 2022.

But the bottom line is Franklin has another good recruiting sales pitch to offer with eight more players sent to the NFL via the draft, as his list of drafted players only continues to grow year by year.

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2022 NFL draft: Penn State OT Rasheed Walker drafted by Green Bay Packers

Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker was drafted by Green Bay Packers in Round 7.

Another Penn State player is now an official NFL draft selection. Offensive tackle [autotag]Rasheed Walker[/autotag] saw his wait to head to the NFL come to an end when the Green Bay Packers used a seventh round draft pick to add the Nittany Lion tackle to their roster.

Rasheed Walker has been viewed as a likely draft pick on Penn State’s roster since the close of the 2021 NFL draft. And although some earlier projections of Walker being a possible first-round draft pick fell well short, Walker is one of Penn State’s highest-drafted offensive tackles of the James Franklin era. Walker is the third offensive tackle from Penn State to be drafted under Franklin. He follows Will Fries, who was a seventh-round pick of Arizona in 2021 and Donovan Smith, a second-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2015.

Walker joins a handful of Penn State players in the draft selection process. Wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders. Defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] went to the Atlanta Falcons and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] went to the Chicago Bears, both in the second round. Linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] went to the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round, and punter [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag] followed later in the fourth round with the Baltimore Ravens. The sixth round concluded with cornerback [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] being picked up by the San Francisco 49ers.

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2022 NFL draft: Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields selected by 49ers

Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields is officially off the board at the 2022 NFL draft

One of the key defensive players for the Penn State defense in 2021 is now officially heading to the NFL. Cornerback [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] saw his dream become a reality when the San Francisco drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday.

Casto-Fields made the decision to return for his extra year of eligibility in 2021 after seeing his 2020 season cut short due to injury. That allowed Castro-fields to have a steady season on the playing field that ultimately helped lead to receiving an invite to the Senior Bowl.

Castro-Fields is the latest cornerback from Penn State to be drafted by an NFL franchise, joining recent draft picks such as [autotag]John Reid[/autotag] (2020), [autotag]Amani Oruwariye[/autotag] (2019), [autotag]Nick Scott[/autotag] (2019), [autotag]Troy Apke[/autotag] (2018), [autotag]Chris Campbell[/autotag] (2018) and [autotag]Marcus Allen[/autotag] (2018), [autotag]Jordan Lucas[/autotag] (2016), and [autotag]Adrian Amos[/autotag] (2015).

Castro-Fields is the fourth Nittany Lion to be selected in the 2022 NFL draft. Wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders, [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] went early in the second round to the Atlanta Falcons and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] was selected by the Chicago Bears later in the second round. Linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] went to the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round, and punter [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag] ended up with the Baltimore Ravens later in the fourth round.

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Jaquan Brisker says Chicago Bears got steal of the draft

Former Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker says he is the steal of the draft for the Chicago Bears

The second round of the 2022 NFL draft saw a pair of Penn State defensive stars hear their names called as official draft picks. Safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in a move to help give an immediate boost to the pass defense. And according to Brisker, the Bears got quite a bargain by drafting the former Nittany Lion standout.

“They just got the steal of the draft,” Brisker said when reacting to his big draft news on Twitter the next day. “So blessed and thankful to be here, Bears nation you won’t be disappointed.”

Brisker was the third Penn State player to be selected in the 2022 NFL draft. Wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders, and defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] was selected by the Atlanta Falcons early in the second round.

Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith went in the third round to the Carolina Panthers, and punter Jordan Stout followed in the third round to the Baltimore Ravens.

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2022 NFL draft: Penn State punter Jordan Stout drafted by Baltimore Ravens

Penn State’s Jordan Sout is the first punter drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

The last time Penn State had a kicker drafted in the NFL draft was 2004 when David Kimball was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round. The last time a punter was drafted from Penn State was in 1987. Now, both droughts can be considered over as Penn State’s [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag] has been selected with a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens.

Stout was picked by the Ravens with the 25th pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas. Officially drafted as a punter, Stout has the leg and the ability to pin a ball deep down the field that makes him quite an attractive option for any NFL team in need of special teams help. John Harbaugh has a keen eye for special teams of course, and he saw an opportunity to secure a strong asset at the punter position for a long time with Stout available.

Stout was the second special teams specialist to be drafted in the fourth round, following LSU kicker Cade York a few picks earlier. Stout was picked ahead of Matt Ariza, a punting prospect that has been lauded by draft analysts. But Stout’s hangtime came to his advantage to make him the first punter off the board in this draft.

Smith is the fourth Penn State player to be drafted in this year’s NFL draft. [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders. [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] will join Smith in the NFC South after being selected by the Atlanta Falcons early in the second round (also trading up to get him), and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] went later in the second round to the Chicago Bears. And linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] was selected earlier in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers.

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2022 NFL draft: Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith drafted by Carolina Panthers

Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith was selected by Matt Rhule’s Carolina Panthers

Linebacker-U has successfully sent another linebacker through to the NFL draft. Penn State’s [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] was selected in the third round by the Carolina Panthers on the final day of the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas.

The Panthers moved up in the draft by trading up with the Washignton Commanders to get into a position to secure the Penn State linebacker. [autotag]Matt Rhule[/autotag] sure knows a good Penn State linebacker when he sees one, and Brown will now join a defense that already has some Penn State flavor with [autotag]Yetur Gross-Matos[/autotag].

Penn State had two linebackers drafted in the 2021 NFL draft with [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag] each being selected in the first round a year ago. Cam Brown was also selected in the 2020 NFL draft as Penn State has started to send linebackers back to the NFL draft on a more regular basis.

Smith is the fourth Penn State player to be drafted in this year’s NFL draft. [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders. [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] will join Smith in the NFC South after being selected by the Atlanta Falcons early in the second round (also trading up to get him), and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] went later in the second round to the Chicago Bears.

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NFL Draft: Breaking down how Arnold Ebiketie fits with Atlanta Falcons

Breaking down how Arnold Ebiketie will fit in with the Atlanta Falcons

When a team likes a player, they don’t play things to chance and that is exactly what the Atlanta Falcons did by trading up to pick 38 in round two to select [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag].

The Atlanta Falcons had been searching for help on the defensive edge for years ever since losing John Abraham. While Ebiketie won’t be a John Abraham right away he serves as a great developmental piece while also playing for the present season.

It appears Ebiketie is excited to head down to Atlanta and he should be. He has a chance to be a young face on a team looking to make an impact both now and in the future and he may be just what the doctored order in Atlanta.

As far as his exact role and how he fits with the Falcons, let’s dive into that.

Twitter reacts to Arnold Ebiketie being drafted by Atlanta Falcons

Twitter reacts to Arnold Ebiketie being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons

The second night of the NFL draft didn’t waste too much time before another member of the Penn State Nittany Lions got his name called. [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 38 pick after the Falcons moved up to make their selection to add some good pass rush to their line.

The move by the Falcons was quite an impressive one, and it had Twitter buzzing with reactions. Here are some of the best reactions found on Twitter reacting to the news of Ebiketie going to the Falcons.

2022 NFL Draft: Jaquan Brisker drafted by Chicago Bears in Round 2

Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker has been drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

After seeing one Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, the second night of the draft has produced two additional draft picks. The latest member of the NFL draft class is safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag], who was selected with the No. 48 overall pick by the Chicago Bears.

Brisker was one of the best players on Penn State’s defense last season, and his return for an additional year meant Brisker was holding off on jumping into the NFL. Odds are probably pretty good that decision paid off for him, as he locked himself into a better draft outlook as a second-round pick by coming back for another season.

Brisker should be a valuable asset to the future of the Bear’s defense, as his ability to play in a variety of defensive schemes should bode well for him and the Chicago defense in the years to come.

Before Brisker got a chance to get his call from the NFL, [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] was selected in the first round by Washington on Thursday night and defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] was selected earlier in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons.

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