Five Penn Staters Drafted, Three Notables Not

In the recent past, Penn Staters haven't exactly lit it up in the NFL, but players like Paul Posluszny have given NFL teams hope, so Penn Staters continue to get picked.



Coming as no shock to anyone, Aaron Maybin was the first Penn Stater off the board, going to Buffalo at No. 11, joining Posluszny on the Bills' defense. Maybin was the lone Penn Stater picked in the first round, and again, that was no shock to anyone. Maybin had a tremendous season last year, and he had to come out when he did. His stock was never going to be higher, and he joins a defense in Buffalo that does have some talent. Hopefully Maybin can continue to harass quarterbacks at the next level.

The next Nittany Lion to go was the man, Derrick Williams, who, ironically, will remain a Lion. Detroit took D-Will in the 3rd round at 82, and as weird as this is going to sound, this a good thing for Derrick Williams.



Think about it: The Lions just got their franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, already have the freak of nature that is Calvin Johnson, drafted Brandon Pettigrew as well, and now Derrick Williams can come in as a threat either out of the backfield or lining up next to or opposite Calvin Johnson. With Pettigrew and Johnson getting a ton of attention, D-Will should get plenty of opportunities in the not-so-distant future to use his play-making ability. And of course, you have to figure he'll be a factor in the return game.

After D-Will, Deon Butler also went in the third round, as Seattle plucked him up at 91 to essentially become the next Bobby Engram. If Deon can do that, he certainly will have a very successful career. Given the fact that he has great hands, the ability to stretch the field and is a pretty decent route-runner, I think Butler will become a very reliable receiver in Seattle.

The final two Penn Staters drafted were both from the offensive line: Rich Ohrnberger went 123 in the fourth round to New England, and A.Q. Shipley landed with the Steelers at 226 in the 7th. Both players had incredible years at Penn State last season, and I'm inclined to believe they'll both be in the league for a while, most likely as backups, but you never know.

Of course, the biggest disappointment for Penn Staters at the draft goes to Maurice Evans.



In 2007, Maurice Evans was without question the best defensive lineman at Penn State, and arguably the best d-lineman in the Big 10. He was incredible. But in the offseason, he got busted with marijuana in his apartment, was suspended to start the season, and never really got back into it. With Aaron Maybin taking off, Evans struggled and had a dismal year by all accounts. When he decided to enter the draft, it really made me wonder if he was still getting high routinely.

I mean, the decision to enter the draft when his stock was at all-time low, you have to be high to do that. He could have come back to school, recaptured his 2007 form and become a first or second round pick. Instead, he went undrafted this weekend. I think he'll probably make a team, but he cost himself millions upon millions of dollars. Maurice Evans is a moron, plain and simple.

Other notables that didn't get drafted are Gerald Cadogan and Jordan Norwood. Cadogan has the size to play at the NFL level, but he is slow and really has trouble with speed guys, so it's not shocking he was passed over. Norwood is a reliable receiver and an excellent route runner, but he is just too small for the NFL. That's not to say he can't latch on somewhere. After all, Greg Lewis is in the NFL. It would be foolish to draft the kid though. Hopefully he can find a team to give him a shot.

Oh, and if you go to NFL.com's Penn State draft page, you'll notice Lydell Sargeant listed. He wasn't drafted because, well, he isn't very good. He was a serviceable college player, but there isn't a receiver in the NFL he can cover, and 5'9" 190 isn't doing him any favors.

Update: Undrafted Free Agent Signings, Penn Staters as follows:

-Jordan Norwood to the Browns.

-Maurice Evans to the Giants.

-Josh Gaines to the Eagles.

-Dan Lawlor to the Redskins.

-Mark Rubin to the Rams.

-Anthony Scirrotto and Gerald Cadogan to the Panthers.

Of those, I would guess that Norwood and Evans will definitely make some team somewhere. The rest, I'm not too sure about. Rubin and Scirrotto don't deserve to be anywhere near the NFL, Gaines was just an average player in college, and Cadogan may latch on as a backup somewhere, but maybe not.