It was a good 2021 NFL Draft for several former Nittany Lions. Multiple Penn State players were picked in the first round for the first time since 2003.
In the first round, the Cowboys took star linebacker Micah Parsons at number 12, then defensive end Odafe (Jayson) Oweh was taken by the Ravens as the 31st pick in the draft. In the second round, tight end Pat Friermuth went to the Steelers at pick 55. In a flurry of Penn State activity, Shaka Toney, Michael Menet, and Will Fries went to the Washington Football Team, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
Before he opted out of the 2020-21 season, Parsons was regarded as a possible top-five pick. He had been praised for not having many of his tackles broken and for having the athleticism to guard tight ends man to man. One thing he could work on is not running himself out of position with pre-snap changes. He fell to a good spot in Dallas, his “dream location” as probably the third linebacker with an excellent opportunity to move up the depth chart.
Odafe Oweh was sent to a decent spot with the Baltimore Ravens. They had their top two edge rushers, Pro Bowl outside linebacker Matthew Judon and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue depart in free agency, opening up the position. The Ravens took a bit of a chance seeing as Oweh recorded zero sacks in his final season at Penn State and just seven throughout his college career. Overall, they saw something in his athleticism and set him on his way to what could be a great NFL career.
After Oweh and Parsons, Pat Friermuth, Shaka Toney, Michael Menet, and Will Fries joined NFL teams with safety Lamont Wade heading to the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. It was a great showing on the whole for these former lions and all of them have the potential to have long NFL careers.
