The pre-draft process is over. The NFL combine is the rearview mirror, as are pro days and top-30 visits. For the prospects, coaches, executives and fans alike, the moment everyone has waited for has finally arrived.
The 2023 NFL draft is about to start, and Penn State fans should be tuned in.
Here’s everything you need to know about the draft and where the Nittany Lions fit in.
Where is Joey Porter Jr. going to land?
Porter is expected to make history, becoming Penn State’s first defensive back ever selected in the first round. One constant from the time he declared has been Porter’s status as a projected first-rounder. Now, it’s just a matter of where he goes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 17 overall have been a popular landing spot in mock drafts. Porter’s father was a Pro Bowl linebacker and Super Bowl winner with the Steelers. When he was a kid, Porter used to hang out at the team facility and got to know Mike Tomlin and his sons. Pittsburgh also desperately needs a corner.
But the Steelers aren’t alone. Both the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders could use a corner, and they own the No. 14 and No. 16 picks, respectively. If Porter falls past Pittsburgh, the Detroit Lions at No. 18 would make sense. The highest he could go, it seems, would be No. 7 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Porter has a chance to be the top cornerback taken, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him selected after Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon and Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez.
Where do Penn State’s other prospects stand?
Penn State could have up to seven players selected. Five are all but locks: Porter, safety Ji’Ayir Brown, receiver Parker Washington, tight end Brenton Strange and lineman Juice Scruggs. Mitchell Tinsley and PJ Mustipher could get drafted in the sixth or seventh rounds or scooped up as high-priority undrafted free agents.
Quarterback Sean Clifford, linebacker Jonathan Sutherland, defensive end Nick Tarburton, long-snapper Chris Stoll and punter Barney Amor project as free agents.
Strange and Brown are Penn State’s next-best prospects after Porter. Strange, a riser in the pre-draft process, is ESPN’s No. 61 overall prospect and No. 6 tight end. Brown, known as one of the best ballhawks in the class, is ESPN’s No. 69 prospect overall and No. 3 safety. That puts both Brown and Strange on the fringe of second-round consideration. Third round feels like a safe landing spot for both.
Washington is projected to land in the fourth or fifth round after his season-ending injury kept him from working out at the combine and pro day. Washington didn’t make The Athletic’s most recent top-100 big board after ranking No. 77 in February. Should he come back fully healthy, Washington could be a Day Three steal.
So could Scruggs, who has center and guard flexibility after playing both at Penn State. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Scruggs as his No. 5 center while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him as his No. 6 center. At the very least, Scruggs should hear his name called in the fifth or sixth round, with the fourth round on the table.
Anyone else of interest?
How about a former Penn State quarterback possibly going No. 1 overall? It probably won’t happen, but it is noteworthy that Will Levis has seen his odds to go No. 1 overall rise dramatically this week, from 40/1 to 4/1 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud will likely be the first two players off the board. But Levis — who transferred to Kentucky after Penn State chose Clifford as its starter — is considered one of the top prospects in the class. And with several QB-needy teams drafting early, he might not make it out of the top 10.
Wherever he lands in the first round, Levis knows his journey at Penn State helped mold him into the player he is today.
“Nothing but love for all the coaches and all the players I had at Penn State,” Levis said at the combine. “I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.”
There are two more former Penn State players who ought to hear their names called: Old Dominion tight end (and former Camp Hill standout) Zack Kuntz and Florida wide receiver Justin Shorter. Kuntz lit up the NFL combine and is considered a fourth- or fifth-rounder. Shorter is projected as a sixth- or seventh-round flier.
When and how can we watch?
Porter will attend the draft in person in Kansas City, eagerly awaiting his opportunity to walk across the stage, embrace Roger Goodell and pose with his new team’s jersey. And you can watch Porter fulfill his childhood dream on a few different channels.
The 2023 draft will air live on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Each channel will have their own broadcasts until Saturday when ABC and ESPN combine their coverage.
The first round will start at 8 p.m. Thursday. The second and third rounds will air on Friday night, starting at 7 p.m. The final day of the draft, encompassing the fourth through seventh rounds, will start at noon Saturday.
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