Penn State Football: recapping the Nittany Lions selected on the third and final day of the 2022 NFL Draft
By Nick Kreiser
Jesse Luketa – edge/outside linebacker
Round 7 – pick 256 – Arizona Cardinals
To the surprise of many Penn State Football fans, Jesse Luketa fell all the way to the back end of the seventh round before finally being selected by Arizona.
Luketa is a hybrid linebacker, who spent much of his final season at Penn State as a defensive end/edge rusher. He showed a ton of upside at the position, and with more reps, could develop into a disruptive pass rusher in the NFL.
Due to his versatility, Jesse Luketa is undoubtedly a steal for the Cardinals, and he could learn a lot in the pass rushing department from JJ Watt.
The primary question mark surrounding the Ottawa product, and perhaps what caused him to fall so far, is his straight-line speed. He only ran 4.89 second, 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
He may spend some time as a specialist, but Jesse Luketa has the potential to eventually settle in as an effective outside linebacker/edge rusher in the NFL.
