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Penn State Football: An early look at next year’s NFL Draft prospects

By Nick Kreiser

Ji'Ayir Brown #16 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Ji'Ayir Brown #16 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: Curtis Jacobs #23 of the Penn State Nittany Lions takes the field before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Beaver Stadium on September 18, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 18: Curtis Jacobs #23 of the Penn State Nittany Lions takes the field before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Beaver Stadium on September 18, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Penn State Football linebacker – Curtis Jacobs

With Brandon Smith and Jesse Luketa being drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, Penn State now has had more linebackers drafted than any other school in the country.

https://twitter.com/PennStateFball/status/1522330065866039296?s=20&t=Vqsd84G9MhOicS44dfdYJg

Next year, Curtis Jacobs has the opportunity to add to that total.

Additionally, it would extend the streak to four consecutive seasons that Penn State will have had a linebacker drafted – Cam Brown in 2020, Micah Parsons in 2021, Smith and Luketa in 2022.

As a first-time starter in 2021, Curtis Jacobs was great for the Nittany Lions, playing the SAM linebacker position.

On the season, he had 61 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three sacks. Plus, he added an acrobatic interception against Illinois.

Jacobs improved on a weekly basis last year, and capped his season with an impressive 10 tackle performance in the Outback Bowl.

In that game, Jacobs moved over from his usual SAM position, to play as a box linebacker. That is where he will be playing in 2022 with the departures of Smith and Ellis Brooks, so expect a highly productive season that could put Curtis Jacobs in the conversation to be a day one or two NFL Draft pick in 2023.

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