Tag: Hunter Nourzad

2024 NFL draft: Chiefs take Penn State OL Hunter Nourzad with pick No. 159

With pick No. 159 in the 2024 NFL draft, the Kansas City #Chiefs selected Penn State center Hunter Nourzad

The Kansas City Chiefs finally addressed their defense with the No. 159 selection in the 2024 NFL draft, picking up Penn State center Hunter Nourzad.

The importance of depth can never be underestimated as the Chiefs continue to fortify their offensive line. Nourzad is listed as a center but has experience playing anywhere on the interior offensive line, creating needed flexibility and relief for Pro Bowl starter Creed Humphrey.

Nourzad began his collegiate career in 2018 at Cornell University. He was the Ivy League Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2021 and transferred to Penn State the following year. In 2023, he switched to center and was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten selection.

This pick should prove to be a good one for the Chiefs as Kansas City looks to ensure that its front-five is equipped to protect Patrick Mahomes for years to come.

General manager Brett Veach has preached flexibility on the offensive line, and he is getting that with Nourzad, who has proven to be a plug-and-play offensive lineman wherever needed.

Hunter Nourzad drafted by Chiefs in 5th round of NFL draft

Hunter Nourzad is Penn State’s third offensive lineman drafted in the 2024 NFL draft.

Penn State is sending another offensive lineman off to the NFL by way of the NFL draft. On Day 3 of the 2024 NFL draft, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs selected center Hunter Nourzad with the 24th pick of the fifth round (159th overall).

Nourzad transferred to Penn State following a standout stint with Cornell. Nourzad joined Penn State in 2022 to provide some stability in the middle of the offensive line, which was flanked on the outside by two other draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft (Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace). The Georgia native earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and was the Ivy League’s offensive lineman of the year in 2021.

Nourzad was the sixth Penn State players selected in the 2024 NFL draft. In addition to Fashanu and Wallace before him, Penn State also saw defensive ends Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac were also selected.

Catch all of the latest updates from the NFL draft with USA TODAY’s live draft tracker. For a look at each Penn State draft prospect, be sure to check out our Penn State NFL draft tracker.

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Best Penn State players still available on Day 3 of NFL draft according to ESPN

Penn State’s Curtis Jacobs and Theo Johnson some of the best available at their positions on the final day of the 2024 NFL draft.

Penn State was happy to see four members of its football family be selected by NFL franchises in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, but they are hoping to see more go on the final day of the draft on Saturday. Any NFL franchise looking to add a linebacker to the roster will have a few solid options to choose from beginning in the fourth round, including Penn State’s [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag].

Jacobs was a standout performer for Penn State and is ranked as the third-best linebacker still on the board according to ESPN’s ranking of best available players going into Day 3 of the draft. He is also among the top 25 best players available when the draft resumes with the no. 24 ranking.

North Carolina’s Cedric Gray is the top linebacker available according to ESPN’s ranking. Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the second-best available linebacker before Jacobs according to the same ranking. All three players figure to make some NFL franchise very happy with the bargain they will seemingly be getting.

Theo Johnson among best TEs still available

Penn State tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] was hoping to go somewhere in the second or third rounds of the draft, but his wait will drag into Day 3 as well. Johnson is ranked as the fifth-best tight end still available with four rounds remaining, so he still has a very good chance of being drafted.

Ja’Tavion Sanders of Texas, Cade Stover of Ohio State, Tanner McLachlan of Arizona, and Jared Wiley of TCU are all ranked ahead of Johnson at the tight end position.

Hunter Nourzad watch is also on

Penn State has already had two offensive linemen drafted in the 2024 NFL draft. Olu Fashanu was a first-round pick of the New York Jets and Caedan Wallace went to the New England Patriots in the third round. But Penn State could get one more offensive lineman drafted with center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] lingering on the board on Day 3.

ESPN ranks Nourzad as the third-best center available. Only Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Wisconsin’s Tanor Bortolini are ranked ahead of him.

Cornerbacks look like long shots?

Penn State still has a few cornerbacks sitting and waiting for a call from the NFL going into the final day of the draft. [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], and [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] are all still available, but all three are ranked between no. 21 and no. 25 at their position among best players available according to ESPN.

While Hardy and Dixon were always expected to be later round picks at best, the fall of King from a potential first-round draft pick a year ago is unfortunate to watch develop. If any player may have benefitted the most by returning for another season at Penn State, it is looking like it would have been King.

But maybe somebody is going to take a shot at King and capitalize on a player with a potential chip on his shoulder. If not, he will be one player to watch during the undrafted free agent frenzy following the draft.

Catch all of the latest updates from the NFL draft with USA TODAY’s live draft tracker. For a look at each Penn State draft prospect, be sure to check out our Penn State NFL draft tracker.

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Where PFF ranks Penn State’s top 2024 NFL draft prospects

How does PFF rank Penn State’s draft prospects just before the 2024 NFL draft?

The 2024 NFL draft is approaching and the final player rankings are rolling out before the first round gets underway. Pro Football Focus unveiled its final big board for the 2024 NFL draft, and a couple of Penn State players

Offensive tackle [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] remains Penn State’s top draft prospect, and PFF has him ranked in the top 20 overall. Fashanu is ranked no. 17 in the PFF player rankings, but he is not the top offensive tackle on the board according to the rankings. Fashanu is the fourth offensive tackle on PFF’s big board.

Notre Dame’s Joe Alt (no. 5 overall), Oregon State’s Taliese Guaga, and Washington’s Troy Fautanu (no. 15) are all ranked ahead of Fashanu at the position. Fashanu was once considered a near-lock to be the top offensive tackle taken in the 2024 NFL draft, but the PFF big board suggests a few players at the same position will have a shot to go ahead of him. But, it is likely PFF still considers Fashanu a first-round talent with a top-20 player ranking. Of course, that all depends on how many teams need an offensive tackle in the first round. Fortunately, offensive tackle is a pretty important position.

Penn State edge rushers [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (no. 38) and [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] (no. 40) are the next highest-ranked Penn State players on the big board according to PFF. Isaac appears to be trending in a positive direction according to PFF following his results and performance this offseason, while Robinson’s stock may have dipped a slight bit. PFF did give Robinson a higher regular season grade in its evaluation than Issac received.

Center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] received the no. 111 ranking from the PFF big board, making him a potentially draftable asset. Tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] is ranked no. 135. Offensive tackle [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag] come sin at no. 142 overall.

[autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], once viewed by draft analysts as a potential first-round pick and arguably the top cornerback in the draft pool, has seen the biggest slide in his overall draft stock. PFF currently ranks King at no. 177 overall, a far cry from his previous draft outlook. [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] makes an appearance at no. 192. Linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] is ranked no. 207, and could be a potential bargain at that ranking for some NFL team. Speedy cornerback [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] is ranked no. 251 on the PFF big board.

See the full PFF big board to see how the draft pros[ects stack up before the 2024 NFL draft.

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Best photos of Penn State offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad, a 2024 NFL draft prospect

Check out some of the best photos of Penn State center Hunter Nourzad, who is a potential NFL draft pick in 2024.

When Penn State needed a veteran presence to throw into the middle of the offensive line two seasons ago, they landed one of the top options in the transfer portal from the Ivy League, of all places. Penn State secured a commitment from [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] over offers from a handful of power conference programs, including Auburn. The Georga native quickly found his role in the trenches but battled a couple of injury concerns along the way at times.

There is a place for a player like Nourzad in the NFL. His invitation to the NFL draft proves he is on the radar for a possible draft selection, even if it comes in the later rounds. He could be one of three Penn State offensive linemen drafted this year if all goes according to plan.

Here are some of the best photos of Hunter Nourzad, who looks to join a  couple of his offensive line teammates (Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace)in the NFL draft this spring.

Penn State NFL draft prospect stock watch: Hunter Nourzad

Could Penn State center Hunter Nourzad be a prospect on the rise ahead of the NFL draft?

Every year, there are players who start the NFL draft season flying completely under the media’s radar. Sometimes it’s because they play at a small school, other times it’s because they don’t play a premium position. It can even be due to a late breakout season that gets overlooked.

For Penn State center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], he falls into a combination of categories. He started his college career at Cornell of all places, playing mostly left and right tackle before transferring to Penn State. He transitioned to an interior lineman, playing over 1,000 snaps at guard and center combined.

Even after playing very well for a major program for two seasons, he was nowhere to be found on most prospect lists and big boards following the 2023 season. An invite to the East West Shrine Bowl helped put him on the map, and he played well enough there to earn an NFL combine invite.

He didn’t test there or at his pro day due to a leg injury, but just being at the combine seems to have given him a boost in the eyes of the media.

 

He has finally started showing up in mock drafts as well over the last month or so, with a meteoric rise in ranking according to NFL Mock Draft Database. Draft analysts may have been slow to notice him, but there is plenty to like. His weight and length are well above average for the center position, and that size gives him guard versatility at the next level.

Position flexibility for a later-round lineman often gives them an edge over players in the same range. Teams who need depth at multiple spots are more likely to want Nourzad over a pure guard/center. The question now is high he could end up being selected. The center class is quite impressive this year, but he should be firmly in the tier below the top guys.

I think he will ultimately be an early day-3 pick, very impressive for the former Ivy League player.

Stock: Up

How to watch the NFL combine: Sunday, March 3

Olu Fashanu headlines the final day of the NFL combine as offensive linemen hit the field.

The NFL combine wraps up this year’s event in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon when the nation’s top offensive linemen go through the combine circuit. Among those participating in the final day of the combine will be Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a potential top-10 draft pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. But he will not be the only Penn State linemen in action today. Caedan Wallace and Hunter Nourzad will hope to give their draft stock a boost as well.

Here is everything you need to know about the NFL combine for today and what to watch from the former Penn State players in attendance for the day’s workouts.

2024 NFL combine: Tracking the results of Penn State’s prospects

We are keeping tabs on all of the NFL combine results of Penn State players in Indianapolis.

Penn State sent 10 players to this year’s NFL combine in Indianapolis and it did not take long to leave a mark on the NFL scouting world. Defensive end Chop Robinson set the combine on fire with his 40-yard dash time as he looked to improve his outlook for a potential first-round draft pick. So the first day of the combine was quite electric for Penn State football going to the next level.

Olu Fashanu is Penn State’s top draft prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. Adisa Isaac and Curtis Jacobs were among the players looking to follow up strong showings in the college football all-star games after the season. Meanwhile, Kalen King was a player looking to redeem his draft profile a bit after a shaky finish to the season and all-star game performance.

Here is a quick rundown of how every Penn State player at the NFL combine measured up and performed.

Veteran lineman pushing for Penn State’s starting center role

Nick Dawkins could be the next big thing for the Penn State offensive line in 2024.

Entering the offseason workout programs, Penn State will be searching to find a starting center replacement for the second year in a row.

After [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag] went to the NFL, [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] stepped into that role last season.

With Nourzad graduated, it seems like another veteran on the offensive line unit is looking to step up and take over the starting center job.

According to just about every teammate that talked to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, everyone can agree that [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] is a hard worker and great leader (subscription required).

He was once being considered for a team captain role despite being a backup on the offensive line.

Now, it seems like he’s ready to finally get the starting reps throughout an entire season that’s he worked for. This will be his fifth year within the program and he’s yet to record a start.

That hasn’t stopped him from being a tireless worker and leader behind the scenes.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Phil Trautwein[/autotag] told Donohue that when Dawkins talks, everyone listens. All-American tackle, [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], says the veteran lineman is one of the hardest-working people he knows and puts a ton of time into getting better at his craft.

Dawkins will have a chance to earn it.

He has gotten game reps at center even if it hasn’t been as a starter.

This should give him the edge over his internal candidates that are likely a much more raw product based on lack of experience at the position.

Dawkins got off to a good start during winter workouts, being recognized by Trautwein as one of their “competitors of the day.”

It will be up to the fifth-year senior to determine if he can finally take control of that position this offseason and go into 2024-25 as the firm starter.

Katson’s Guys: 2024 NFL draft ‘crushes’ the Chargers might love

Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Alex Katson’s 2024 NFL draft crushes the Los Angeles Chargers might love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

While you may be scouting chocolate and flowers, the Chargers remain hard at work scouting players for April’s NFL draft.

Here are six of my crushes for Los Angeles in honor of Valentine’s Day.