Though it won’t take place in its usual ceremonious form, this year’s NFL Draft will go on, and as usual, you can expect Penn State to be among those schools with multiple players selected.
The Nittany Lions went 11-2 and toppled Memphis in the Cotton Bowl in 2019, and perhaps punched above their weight during the season, with only one projected first-round pick in this year’s draft class: defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos.
Gross-Matos was a force to be reckoned with as a junior at PSU, racking up a team-high 9.5 sacks as well as 40 tackles.
His best performance came in Penn State’s biggest game of the year in Columbus, as the end racked up nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks against Ohio State. He posted a 2.5-sack day against Idaho in the Nittany Lions’ season opener, as well.
He finished with the seventh-most sacks and tackles for loss in the Big Ten Conference.
His results loomed large, as PSU finished with the No. 3 scoring defense in the Big Ten last season.
He was named to the All-Big Ten first team by coaches and media, as well as to the AP’s All-Big Ten second team and Phil Steele’s All-America third team.
For his career, Gross-Matos finished 10th all-time in Happy Valley with 19 career sacks and 11th all-time with 37 career tackles for loss — all while forgoing one final year of eligibility, to boot.
As far as the NFL Draft goes, most sites agree on Gross-Matos as a late-round pick on Thursday night. Two writers from those sites — Bryan DeArdo of CBSsports.com and Chad Reuter of NFL.com — have him going 25th overall to the Minnesota Vikings, while additional potential landing spots include Seattle and Houston, among others.
Wherever he ends up, it’s anticipated that Gross-Matos will see some immediate playing time. NFL.com lists Gross-Matos’ “prospect grade” at 6.5, making the end a “boom or bust prospect.”
Behind Gross-Matos in the draft, fellow Penn Stater K.J. Hamler, a receiver, figures to go in the second or third round.
Hamler, widely known for his speed, led Penn State in every receiving category in 2019 and ranked in the Big Ten’s top 10 in both receptions (4.3) and receiving yards (69.5) per game. He finished his redshirt sophomore season with 56 grabs for 904 yards and eight touchdowns, which helped propel PSU to the No. 2 scoring offense in the Big Ten last season.
What also helps boost Hamler’s draft profile is his versatility. In addition to his playmaking ability at receiver, Hamler can feature as a punt and kick returner, too. With those skill sets, he finished fourth in the Big Ten in terms of all-purpose yardage with 1,586 total yards.
Still, even with those tools, Hamler projects as a second- or third-round pick in a draft class that features plenty of talent at wide receiver. NFL.com gives Hamler a “prospect grade” of 6.33, meaning he “will be a starter within first two seasons.”
Reuter has Hamler going to the Cowboys in the middle of the second round, while CBS has projected Hamler at No. 70 overall to the Miami Dolphins. Other teams he could end up with include the Broncos and Bengals, and really any team looking to add a speedy slot receiver on Day 2 will find Hamler to be an attractive choice.
Other Penn State players to keep an eye on throughout the third day of the draft include: Robert Windsor (defensive tackle); Cam Brown (linebacker); Steven Gonzalez (offensive guard); John Reid (defensive back) and Jan Johnson (linebacker).
(Joel Whetzel, a Bradford Era sports reporter, can be reached at jwhetzel@bradfordera.com).
