Penn State Football: An early look at next year’s NFL Draft prospects
By Nick Kreiser
Penn State Football had eight players drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, which was the fourth most in the country, and the most for the program since 10 Nittany Lions were selected in 1996.
To go along with that, a handful of lettermen were also signed as undrafted free agents.
The 2022 draft was an impressive one for Penn State, but believe it or not, they could threaten to match, or even surpass this year’s mark in the 2023 NFL Draft, if a couple players have breakout campaigns this season.
Some of these players have multiple years of eligibility remaining, so they could decide to return to school, even if they have a great season – especially in the NIL era.
All of these Penn State Football players will almost certainly be drafted next season, assuming they decide to enter the draft. Who are they, and where might they be selected in the draft?
Penn State Football cornerback – Joey Porter Jr.
Joey Porter Jr was a projected first round pick by Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, and while that may currently be a bit of a lofty projection for the Penn State cornerback, Porter will certainly be drafted in next April’s draft.
A six-foot-two corner with long arms will have NFL scouts drooling over his potential.
Joey Porter Jr had a strong start to his redshirt sophomore campaign in 2021, but ran into some trouble down the stretch with a lot of pass interference of penalties. He’ll need to clean that up, but it’s better for him to be a little too aggressive, than for him to not play aggressive enough.
Porter will certainly be tested throughout the season, beginning right off the bat in week one against Purdue, who will lean heavy on their passing attack.
He will also be tested against Ohio State, who has some of the country’s best wide receivers, being thrown to by a Heisman contender in CJ Stroud.
If Joey Porter Jr can play well against those teams, and help to shut down their strong passing attacks, he can make himself a lot of money and will be one of the top cornerbacks in next year’s draft class.