Penn State Football Has 4 Players Selected on Day 2 of the NFL Draft

On Friday, the 2nd day of the 2023 NFL draft rounds 2-3 were completed. During those rounds, there were four former Penn State football players selected. At one point, the Nittany Lions had back-to-back selections from pick 61 and pick 62.

To catch the Penn State community up to speed, I will recap each pick from rounds 2-3 and provide a list of players still available as we enter the third and final day of the 2023 NFL draft.

Night two of the NFL draft started with the 32nd pick. And with the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected CB Joey Porter Jr.

Many mock drafts had Porter Jr going in the 1st round on Thursday night, but he had to wait until the first pick in the 2nd round for his NFL dream to come true. It worked out well, as he goes to the team that he has deep family ties with. His father Joey Porter Sr played for the Steelers from 1999-2006. A heartwarming homecoming for Joey Porter Jr.

Then, with the 61st pick the Jacksonville Jaguars selected TE Brenton Strange.

Strange will now play in Jacksonville and catch passes from former #1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. This is a great fit for him as they have Evan Engram as their starting tight end. This allows Strange to develop during his rookie year and learn from one of the league’s best tight ends.

We didn’t have time to celebrate Strange’s selection because the very next pick 62nd overall Juice Scruggs was selected by the Houston Texans.

https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans/status/1652117996372910081?s=20

Scruggs will go to Houston and he will be teammates with former Ohio State QB CJ Stroud. I believe he was selected this high because of the versatility he brings to the table. In his Penn State football career Scruggs played both guard and center which is the name of the game in the NFL nowadays. The more comfortable a player is in multiple positions, the more valuable they become.

Then, in the 3rd round pick 87 overall the San Francisco 49ers selected S Ji’Ayir Brown.

Some might say Brown slipped in the draft a little; however, it’s all about the fit for the player and he fits very well into the 49ers secondary. He will be paired with Talanoa Hufanga who is becoming a breakout star in the NFL. This is a team that has an excellent pass rush which will assist Brown with his transition to the NFL. From Lackawanna Community College to Penn State and now to the Bay Area, what a journey for Tig Brown.

As we enter the final day of the NFL draft there are many Penn State football players expecting their names to be called today. WR Parker Washington, WR Mitchell Tinsley, QB Sean Clifford, DT PJ Mustipher, DE Nick Tarburton, and many more will wait and see if they hear their names called this afternoon.