Penn State Pro Day Stories
Jesse Luketa sat for a while with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn at Penn State's Pro Day. Luketa's best friend from Penn State is Micah Parsons, whom Quinn helped turn into the NFL defensive rookie of the year.
So Luketa naturally had an idea.
"I kind of made him laugh," Luketa said. "I said, 'Listen, I don’t see why not? Why wouldn’t you want to pair me and Micah back up?''
Everybody had a story at Pro Day, where 15 former Nittany Lions began or continued the interview process before the 2022 NFL Draft. Luketa's involved recalibrating after he sustained a minor injury at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Luketa returned to Penn State for Pro Day intent on making some specific points. He wanted to "remove any doubt" regarding his short-area quickness and ability to change directions, traits essential for swing defensive linemen/linebackers. Luketa felt he accomplished that, running the pro-agility drill in 4.27 seconds.
That time demonstrated his ability to get in and out of breaks and change directions, Luketa said. He was disappointed at being unable to run the 40-yard dash at Pro Day but said running wouldn't have been "beneficial."
Parsons has been lobbying the Cowboys to draft Luketa — "He pushed it all the way to [owner] Jerry [Jones]," Luketa said — though several teams have shown interest. Luketa (6-3, 257 pounds) is confident he can play either end or linebacker in the NFL and is adaptable to any defensive scheme.
"Teams ask me where I feel most comfortable," Luketa said. "I tell them, I play defense. My perception of how I look at things is, I want to be the most disruptive player on the football field."
Penn State's Jesse Luketa wants to prove that he can be a versatile defender in the NFL.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports
Jaquan Brisker takes a step forward
Safety Jaquan Brisker hit 38.5 inches in the vertical jump at Pro Day, a 4-inch improvement over his combine result. Brisker felt that move solidified his position among the draft's top defensive backs.
"I was fine with that [height at the combine]," Brisker said. "I just wanted to come out here and show that, with a better back, I can jump 38.5 and move like a corner."
Brisker tweaked his back during the bench press at the combine, preventing him from doing much else in Indianapolis. He gritted through the vertical and broad jumps but did not run. At Pro Day, Brisker paired his improved vertical with a 4.4 40-yard dash.
Packaged with his 2021 game film, which earned him several All-America honors, Brisker heads to the draft with confidence.
"I was excited just to take a step forward [at Pro Day]," Brisker said. "I was very disappointed that I couldn’t perform at the combine. Just looking at the safeties and corners, I felt like if I was there, it would be a different story if I did everything. Just coming out here was a step forward."
Former Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker speaks to the media at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports
Jordan Stout puts punting on hold at Pro Day
Former Penn State punter/kicker Jordan Stout readied for Pro Day by eating two donuts. "Jelly-filled, of course," he said. "The only option for holding."
Stout fielded the most interesting request at Pro Day. The Big Ten punter of the year kicked and punted well enough at the Senior Bowl and the combine that he didn't need to re-prove those skills. But since he didn't hold for field goals and extra points last season, Stout needed to demonstrate his ability as a holder.
So that's all he did. Stout held snaps, from long-snapper Chris Stoll and for kicker Jake Pinegar, in front of seven NFL special teams coordinators.
"You have to go out and have fun with it," he said. "The fact that seven coordinators’ eyes were straight on my spot, it was a little unnerving. But you can’t think about it. Sometimes the laces were back, so you spun them around real quick. It was a good day."
Stout has emerged this season as a draftable specialist. He punted exceptionally well (in terrible weather) at the Senior Bowl and ran the second-fastest 40 (4.65 seconds) among specialists at the combine.
Stout still considers himself a three-technique specialist (punts, field goals, kickoffs) but is trending toward focusing on punts and kickoffs in the NFL.
Penn State's Jordan Stout has become a draft prospect at punter with his performances at the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.
Matt Pendleton/USA Today Sports
Noteworthy
Linebacker Brandon Smith lost six pounds since the combine, weighing in at 244 at Pro Day. He ran a swift 4.08 time in the pro shuttle, just .02 behind cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields.
Offensive lineman Eric Wilson hit 29 reps on the bench press, a performance that would have ranked second among linemen at the combine.
Defensive end Arnold Ebiketie looked and moved more like a linebacker. He measured at 6.26, 247 pounds, vertical-jumped 38 inches and ran a 4.65 40. He is being scouted at both positions.
Offensive lineman Rasheed Walker (6-6, 324) did not participate in drills. He also was unable to compete at the combine because of an injury that kept him out of the last three games of the season.
Check out Penn State's Pro Day results at the team's site.
Read more
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Eric Wilson's path from Harvard to Penn State to the NFL
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