Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1254482
chance to find out firsthand what those teammates saw in O'Brien, who is 52-44 in his six seasons in Houston. CAM BROWN OLB | 6-5 | 233 TEAM New York Giants ROUND/PICK 6th/183rd TEAM SAYS Head coach Joe Judge: "Physically, he's got good length. He's got a frame to fill out and play. He plays with good energy. He plays aggressive and downhill. He's going to bring versa- tility on the edge as well as a little bit of stack 'backer value. He brings impact in the kicking game with us." FRANKLIN SAYS "We are thrilled for Cam to hear his name called by the New York Giants. Cam was a team captain for us, plays fast and attacks on each play. The sky is the limit in terms of his po- tential because of his ability to cover space. He has great size and length, and he has shown versatility to play multiple linebacker positions, which bodes well for him at the next level. Cam's blitz po- tential is one of his many assets. Cam will represent LBU well on Sundays." ANALYSIS The Giants were looking to deepen their linebacker corps, and they did that by selecting four LBs. In addition to Brown, they chose Carter Coughlin of Minnesota, T.J. Brunson of South Car- olina and Tae Crowder of Georgia. Brown was the first of those players to be chosen, as the Giants selected Coughlin, Brunson and Crowder in the seventh round. Brown became the first Penn State linebacker to be drafted since 2013, when the Min- nesota Vikings took both Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti. As it turned out, Brown had an advo- cate on the Giants' staff in Sean Spencer, who had been the Nittany Lions' defen- sive line coach for six years before leav- ing this past winter for New York. Judge said Spencer "has spoken very highly of Cam since he got here. He's also a guy who, when you talk to other guys on Penn State and you hit them with who the leader on the defense is, without hesitation they all said Cam Brown. That stuck out to us. He's been an alpha dog in the locker room, and that brings the attitude we really look for on the field." ROBERT WINDSOR DT | 6-4 | 290 TEAM Indianapolis Colts ROUND/PICK 6th/193rd TEAM SAYS Area scout Mike Deric: "I think Robert is going to be a really good pro. Robert has had success at a very high level. He knows how to play with technique with his hands. … It's undeni- able how hard he plays, and he really loves the game." FRANKLIN SAYS "We are excited for Rob to continue his career with the Indi- anapolis Colts. He played a ton of snaps in his career for us and was very produc- tive. Rob has a tremendous motor to go along with his knowledge of the position. He also plays with a high level of confi- dence because of his preparation. Rob's hard work will help him find success with the Colts. He took full advantage of his time at Penn State, earning his degree in telecommunications. He has a very bright future, and we wish him nothing but the best in his NFL career." ANALYSIS Windsor said he suspected that the Colts had an interest in him fol- lowing his All-Big Ten career at Penn State and a solid showing at the Senior Bowl in January. The team followed through by choosing him with the first of its four sixth-round picks. He was one of three Big Ten players in the Colts' eight- member draft class, joining Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor and Michigan linebacker Jordan Glasgow. Windsor was a three-star recruit in the Nittany Lions' Class of 2015, and as a late-round pick in Indy's draft class, he didn't attract nearly as much attention as Taylor, the Big Ten's rushing leader in 2018. But he told Colts.com that he doesn't mind ceding the spotlight to others. "Being under the radar, I'm just kind of used to it at this point," he said. "At some point in my career I'm going to break through, and I don't think we'll have that talk anymore of me being under the radar. It's just got me hungry, to be honest, because I know my worth. I acknowledge that, and if everyone else doesn't acknowledge that, that just keeps me hungry." ■ T H E M O N T H I N . . . The funny part for Penn State is that this span of recruiting has been the best commit- ment stretch of April and May since Franklin took over the job. Certainly many differ- ent factors play into the timeline of a class, but it's fitting that in a world that leans on flash and big impressions to swing recruits, Penn State's best early spring commitment stretch has happened from home.Sure there are prior relationships and prior visits in a pre-COVID-19 world to reflect on, but there is an element of old school recruiting and salesmanship that comes from a new school technology. Maybe it never needed to be that fancy in the first place. Of course don't expect a few months at home to stop the college football arms race. BEN JONES STATECOLLEGE.COM James Franklin and Penn State exploded onto the scene as one of the nation's premier programs with a white-out home win against Ohio State in 2016 that sparked the Nit- tany Lions' Big Ten title run. That game, and that season, set the standard for expecta- tions moving forward. Ohio State may be a juggernaut in college football, but it's not unbeatable, and in 2020 we're looking to see if Penn State can do it again and maybe ride that win to a program-first playoff appearance. CHIP PATTERSON CBSSPORTS.COM O P I N I O N S