ESPN’s Jordan Reid predicts record NFL draft for Penn State in 7-round mock draft
The NFL draft is now just days away, and NFL draft analysts are putting out their final thoughts on the class. One popular final note that analysts churn out is a massive seven-round mock with every pick accounted for. It’s a huge (and potentially pointless) endeavor, but the amount of time and effort is praiseworthy.
Penn State has a large class of potential picks, and fans will be happy to hear that one analyst was able to fit all 10 draftable prospects into his final mock. Jordan Reid of ESPN took on the challenge of predicting every pick of the draft, and he clearly is a big fan of the talented Nittany Lions in this class.
Let’s start at the top, where he predictably had star offensive lineman Olu Fashanu as his first Nittany Lion off the board. He selected him at 14th overall to the New Orleans Saints, one of his more popular destinations this draft season. Fashanu would likely be an immediate starter for the Saints and potentially a top-ten left tackle sooner rather than later.
Chop Robinson was the next Penn State prospect off the board, landing with a popular destination for him as well at 26th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers need a young, explosive edge rusher to replace former Pro Bowl edge Shaq Barrett, so this landing spot could be great for Robinson.
Reid surprised me a bit with how high the next Nittany Lion came off the board, with edge rusher Adisa Isaac being selected 40th overall by the Washington Commanders. Isaac is a high-floor player that new Head Coach Dan Quinn will likely value highly.
After those three, Penn State fans had to wait a while to see another Nittany Lion selected. Tight end Theo Johnson was selected at 121st overall by the Denver Broncos, likely slotting in as a good backup immediately. Two more Penn State prospects were picked up in the next five picks, with offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad at 122 to the Chicago Bears and fellow lineman Caedan Wallace going at 127 to the Houston Texans.
Not much farther down the board, Reid adds another Nittany Lion to Denver’s roster by grabbing linebacker Curtis Jacobs at 147th overall. Now in the sixth round, Reid ends corner Kalen King’s big slide down the board at 186 to the Arizona Cardinals. King’s draft season has been a disaster, but he would have a chance to make an impact for a Cardinals team desperate for defensive talent.
Reid finishes his predicted landing spots for Penn State prospects by picking corners Johnny Dixon and Daequan Hardy at 205 and 228 respectively. Dixon joins Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions, and Hardy ends up with the Baltimore Ravens. Both of those teams need help in the secondary, so they should have a chance to compete for a role early.
Overall, I like the fit for the majority of these picks. We all want to see these guys succeed at the next level, and I think if these picks were to happen for real all of them would have a good shot to make it in the NFL.
