Penn State Football: Apke’s selection indicative of hard-work attitude
It surprised a lot of people to see Troy Apke get taken before Marcus Allen. However, the hard-working Penn State football safety pushed his way up.
An electric combine performance and consistent play in the secondary helped Penn State football player Troy Apke become a household name for last weekend’s NFL Draft. Although Apke had projections of going late in the draft, he went in the fourth round to the Washington Redskins.
His selection turned some heads, considering his counterpart in the secondary, Marcus Allen was still on the board. He started the majority of four years while Apke started just one. It may have come as a surprise to some, but Apke became a better player every year in Happy Valley.
He started his career gunning down players on special teams and worked his way into a regular contributor on defense by his junior year. His play on special teams earned him a solid look in the NFL, because teams want guys that know how to produce in the overlooked phase of the game. A lot of college starters have never had to play special teams. They played their whole career starting on one side of the ball. This is where guys that were lower-tier prospects gain their edge. Franchises want versatility and according to Washington that’s what they saw.
When the Redskins too him they knew he’d played just one year of full-time starting safety. He’ll get acclimated to the position in time but until then, he can gun down return men. With a 4.34, 40-yard dash, he can get down the field quickly and contain any returner that tries to slip through the cracks.
Most saw this as a reach, but his athleticism and continued progression make it a great pick for the future. In the short-term, he can excel on special teams and start to pick up the nuances of playing safety in the NFL. In the long-term, he likely could take over the starting safety job.
Must Read: Penn State Football: 2018 NFL undrafted free agent tracker
As it mentioned in the aforementioned article, starters can come off special teams and make an impact. Apke is no stranger to that. If he can translate his college career to the pros, teams will be kicking themselves for not taking him.