Three Nittany Lions Go in Day 2

Penn State did not have a player selected in the first round of the NFL draft this year, but day 2 was much kinder to three Penn State standouts.

Austin Johnson

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The first Nittany Lion to go off the board was defensive tackle Austin Johnson. Johnson was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 12th pick of the 2nd round and the 43rd pick overall.  The 6’4 313 pound junior from Galloway, New Jersey was a two year starter for Penn State and accumulated 154 tackles, 24 for loss, and 8.5 sacks. Johnson joins former teammate Daquon Jones in Tennessee.

Christian Hackenberg

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Hackenberg was called the mystery man of the draft, but it is no longer a mystery where the three year starting quarterback will end up. With the 20th pick of the 2nd round (51st overall) Hackenberg was drafted by the New York Jets. Hackenberg is the first Penn State signal caller taken in the first two rounds since Kerry Collins went 5th overall in 1995. The junior elected to forgo his senior year and enter the draft. Hackenberg holds the school record for passing yards, touchdowns, and attempts. The former 5 star recruit will most likely sit out a year to learn, but behind a NFL offensive line, and with receivers like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, the future looks bright for the Penn State legend.

Carl Nassib

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The final Penn State player slected on day 2, was defensive end Carl Nassib. The former walk on was picked by the Clevland Browns with the 2nd pick of the 3rd round and 65th overall. The 6’6 DE had a coming out party last season with 46 tackles, 19.5 for loss, and a nation leading 15.5 sacks in only 10 games. Nassib was a consensus All- American, Big Ten Defensive player of the year, Ronnie Lott Trophy winner, Ted Hendricks award winner, and Vince Lombardi Award winner in 2015.

Penn State hopes to add DT Anthony Zettel to the list of drafted Lions tomorrow. Nassib and Johnson add to an impressive group of 14 Penn State linemen to be drafted since 2000. For Hackenberg, he has a lot to prove in the Big Apple (His only bowl game victory was in New York City) only time will tell if he can turn into the player that was projected to go first overall just a year ago.