Arnold Ebiketie Fulfills His NFL Draft Mission
The Atlanta Falcons selected Arnold Ebiketie in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, fulfilling Ebiketie's mission of improving his draft status by transferring to Penn State.
Ebiketie, the 38th pick overall, parlayed his decision to transfer from Temple to Penn State into a huge season, during which he led the Big Ten in tackles for loss (18) and Penn State in sacks (9.5). At Penn State's Pro Day in March, the defensive end said he arrived in State College with a plan.
"I knew I had to go in there and kind of earn it," Ebiketie said. "Nothing was going to be given to me. So the plan for me was just to go out there and let my work speak for itself at first and kind of earn my role on the team."
Ebiketie moved in and out of the first round of mock drafts since the season ended, though ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has been all-in on the defensive end since January.
"James Franklin loved the fact that [Ebiketie] came in from Temple and he showed up like, 'I've been here for three years,'" Kiper said on the ESPN First Draft podcast. "He came in humble, ready to work. He got that locker room right away. He went on the practice field and worked hard. Arnold Ebiketie has the makeup, the mindset, the physical and athletic ability is there, the production this year and at Temple, was pretty good.
"He was great at Penn State this year. I think when you look at an outside backer getting off the edge who provides some versatility, Arnold Ebiketie to me is a guy who, if he gets into the second round, I think he’s a heck of a pick. He could be a late [first-rounder], but I still really like what Arnold Ebiketie will bring to a defense in terms of getting after the quarterback."
Ebiketie, who was born in Cameroon. began playing football in high school in Silver Spring, Md. He admitted to being undersized and receiving few scholarship offers, ultimately landing at Temple, where he was second-team All-AAC in 2020.
Ebiketie earned plenty of offers in the NCAA Transfer Portal but chose Penn State, where he started from the outset. Ebiketie ultimately credited Penn State for preparing him for this moment.
"Going to Penn State, some of the things we did there are some of the things we’re going to do in the league as well," Ebiketie said earlier this year. "I’m well prepared when it comes to going to the next level."
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