Penn State football | 4 Nittany Lions selected Saturday to conclude NFL draft

DETROIT – Four more Penn State players were selected Saturday to conclude the 2024 NFL Draft.

Eight Nittany Lions were picked over the three-day event. Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (New York Jets, 11th overall), and edge rusher Chop Robinson (Miami Dolphins, 21st overall) were first-round picks Thursday. Offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (New England Patriots) and edge rusher Adisa Isaac (Baltimore Ravens) were taken in the third round Friday.

Penn State has had five or more draft picks in seven straight years, dating back to 2018. It is Penn State’s longest streak of years with at least five picks since a string of seven years from 1978-84. The Nittany Lions had five or more draft picks for the 33rd time in school history.

The Nittany Lions have had a total of 46 players who have been drafted in the past seven NFL drafts, the most in a seven-year span for the program since 1991-97 (45 picks).

Penn State is one of three schools that has had a player selected among the first three rounds of the NFL draft in 19 straight years, joining Louisiana State and Southern California.

The Nittany Lions had three offensive linemen drafted for the first time since 1996 (four selected). It marks the seventh time in school history Penn State has had at least three linemen selected and the first time under coach James Franklin.

Three Penn State offensive linemen went in the first five rounds of the NFL Draft this year for the first time since 1993. Penn State has had an offensive lineman selected in each of the past four drafts, joining Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin as the only other schools to do so.

A total of 389 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 54 players selected since Franklin’s arrival to the program in 2014, including 25 taken on the first two days of the draft.

Penn State has had five tight ends drafted since 2015, tied for the Big Ten lead during that span.

This marks the first time Penn State has had two defensive ends taken in the same draft since 2021, and the third time in history and second time under Franklin.

Penn State had multiple defensive backs selected for the third straight year. It marked the 10th time in school history with multiple defensive backs drafted and the fifth time in the Franklin era.

Tight end Theo Johnson went to the New York Giants in the fourth round. Center Hunter Nourzad was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round. The Buffalo Bills took cornerback Daequan Hardy in the sixth round, and cornerback Kalen King went to the Green Bay Packers in the seventh.

Johnson was the 107th overall selection.

The Canada native posted career highs in receptions (34), yardage (341) and touchdowns (7) in 2023. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, he ran a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash.

Johnson compiled 77 catches for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns over four seasons and 44 games. He averaged 12.2 yards per catch. The Canada native hauled in 20 catches for 328 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. He totaled 19 grabs for 213 yards and a score in 2021.

Nourzad was the 159th overall pick. He was a 2023 Big Ten second-team selection.

He played in 11 games during the 2022 season, making eight starts. Nourzad made 13 starts at center in 2023. He totaled 21 starts and played in 24 contests at Penn State.

Nourzad, who played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, is 6-foot-3 and 317 pounds. The Georgia native started 20 straight games at right tackle at Cornell before transferring to Penn State after the 2021 season.

The 23-year-old earned a degree in engineering at Cornell. He allowed two sacks in 401 pass-blocking snaps during the 2023 season.

Hardy was the 219th overall pick. A revelation for Penn State as a punt returner in 2023, Hardy was perhaps the player who raised his stock more than any other during the pre-draft process.

The Pittsburgh native ran a 4.38 40-yard dash in Indianapolis and registered an eye- popping 42.5-inch vertical leap. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds, Hardy did much to silence concerns about his size and strength – managing to bench 225 pounds 15 times at his pro day.

As a prospect, Hardy projects as a nickel corner, but said he’s comfortable playing corner or safety if needed.

Hardy finished tied for fourth in school history in punt return touchdowns (two) and seventh in punt return average (14.6).

He returned two punts for touchdowns against Massachusetts Oct. 14. He found the end zone from 56 and 68 yards out on those punts. Hardy became the first player in school history to return multiple punt returns for touchdowns in a single game.

Since 2000, Hardy is the 25th FBS player to return two punt returns for touchdowns in a game. He is one of two Big Ten players joining Iowa’s Kevonte Martin-Manley (vs. Western Michigan, 2013).

King was the 255th overall pick. The Detroit native’s lackluster 4.61 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine and the drop in production from his 2023 season compared to his 2022 production were red flags.

In 2023, King had 29 total tackles (20 solo), no interceptions and only two pass breakups. In 2022, King was noticeably more productive with 30 total tackles (23 solo), three interceptions and a career-high 21 pass breakups.

King helped himself at his pro day, running a faster 40-yard dash time (4.52) and recording a 4.14 shuttle time.

Linebacker Curtis Jacobs (Kansas City) and safety Keaton Ellis (Tennessee) signed undrafted deals with teams. Running back Trey Potts earned a minicamp invite with the Kansas City Chiefs.