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F O O T B A L L Assessing PSU's draft class, by the numbers The 2019 edition of the NFL Draft was, by historical standards, a very good one for the Penn State football program. Although the Nittany Lions didn't pro- duce a top-five pick this year, or even a first-rounder, there were six Penn Staters drafted, ranging from running back Miles Sanders, the No. 53 overall pick, to safety Nick Scott, who went 243rd. In between Sanders' selection by Philadelphia in the second round and the Los Angeles Rams' decision to choose Scott with only 11 picks remaining in the seventh round, the Lions had four play- ers drafted: offensive lineman Connor McGovern (No. 90), defensive end Sha- reef Miller (No. 138), cornerback Amani Oruwariye (No. 146) and quarterback Trace McSorley (No. 197). By the time it was over, Penn State was represented in every round of the draft except the first. On the flip side, two PSU players who opted to leave school early to enter the draft – defensive tackle Kevin Givens and offensive lineman Ryan Bates – were not se- lected. Forced to seek roster spots via free agency, Bates signed with Philadelphia and Givens with San Francisco. Four other Nittany Lions also signed free agent contracts, as receiver DeAndre Thompkins landed with the Eagles, running back Johnathan Thomas with Cincinnati, long snapper Kyle Vasey with Atlanta and linebacker Koa Farmer with Oakland. Now let's take a by-the-numbers look at how Penn State players fared in this year's draft: PHILLY SPECIAL Four former Nittany Lions will be staying in-state as they embark on their NFL careers. In addition to Sanders and free agent signees Thompkins and Bates, the Eagles chose Miller in the fourth round. Miller is a Philadelphia native who began his high school career at Frank- ford, then transferred to George Wash- ington. He was an Eagles fan growing up and has fond memories of the team's Super Bowl victory over New England in February 2018. "Watching that Super Bowl was a great moment for us and the city," Miller said. "Me and my grandpop cried because we used to always stress about the Eagles. It was a great feeling." SIX IS IT With its six-man draft con- tingent, Penn State finished tied with Clemson, Notre Dame, Auburn and Mississippi. The only schools with more than six draftees this year were Alabama (10), Ohio State (nine), Oklahoma (eight), Washington (eight), Texas A&M (seven) and Georgia (seven). The last time Penn State sent that many draftees into the league in one year was 2010. That contingent was led by defensive lineman Jared Odrick (first round, No. 28 overall), followed by line- backers Sean Lee (second round, 55th NEWS & NOTES | FLY, EAGLE, FLY Sanders grew up in Pittsburgh but is getting set to launch his pro career on the other side of the state with Philadel- phia. Photo by Steve Manuel

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