Blue White Illustrated

May 2021

Penn State Sports Magazine

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10 feet, 6 inches; 40: 4.39 seconds; pro drill: 4.4 seconds; L drill: 6.89 seconds PAT FREIERMUTH RECAP Freiermuth did not take part in any of the timed events, but he did run routes on the field afterward. He's been recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered against Ohio State in the sec- ond week of the 2020 season and said he was about two to three weeks away from being "full go." Freiermuth spent plenty of time work- ing with Pittsburgh Steelers tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts and was asked about the Steelers afterward. "Me and him have a really good rela- tionship so far," Freiermuth said. "We've met a couple times and we're going to continue to meet. He's a great guy and definitely someone I'd love to play for. Obviously, seeing Mike Tomlin and the GM [Kevin Colbert], it meant a lot for them to come see me. Obviously, they're great guys and I'd be very happy to join their organization if they choose." RESULTS N/A SHAKA TONEY RECAP Perhaps overshadowed a bit by Parsons and Oweh, the All-Big Ten de- fensive end produced a showing he was happy with. "I thought I did good," he said. "There was some stuff I wanted to be better in. You've just got to keep going. I can't look back now, the day's over. You don't get a second opportunity, you have to live with what you put out there." Toney said he had lost about 20 pounds this past winter after he con- tracted COVID-19, and he has worked to A lot of people are going to look at that goose egg on the stat sheet where the sacks should be and wonder: Why all the fuss about Jayson Oweh? In his third and final season at Penn State, the 6-foot-5, 252-pound defen- sive end played in seven games with- out bringing down an opposing quarterback. It's a statistical oddity that has caught a lot of people's attention now that Oweh is preparing for the NFL Draft, and it generated a lengthy discussion during the BTN broadcast of Penn State's Pro Day on March 25. But in his workout at Holuba Hall, Oweh showed defini- tively what all the fuss is about. His measurables were spectacular: a 4.36- second 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch ver- tical leap and 21 reps on the bench press, among other testing results. What's more, there have been plenty of testaments lately to his on-field im- pact, which went well beyond the sack column during his two seasons as a fre- quent contributor at Penn State. Last fall, he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 38 and was third in tackles for loss with 6.5 even though he missed two games. As a backup the previous year, he had 21 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles. He did all that de- spite playing just two seasons of high school football before arriving in Uni- versity Park. As defensive coordinator Brent Pry told BTN on Pro Day, "He's a very raw football player, but develop- ment is going to come." Speaking to reporters after his work- out, Oweh acknowledged that his stat line from last season can't just be waved off. "The zero sacks thing, it's obviously there," he said. "But if you really are a savant of the game and if you really understand what's going on in the game and you watch film, if you don't just look at the box score, you understand that's not who I am. That's not the type of player I am. "If you go off Indiana, I could have had five sacks in that game; things were just a split-second off. I feel like even if I did have five or six sacks, peo- ple would still come up with things to say. My best years of football are ahead of me. This is the best thing that could have happened to me, because I'm using it as motivation. People said that I was a pass-rush specialist the year before, now they're saying I can only play the run. I just use this stuff as motivation. It's helping me become a more complete football player." With his off-the-charts measurables and sky-high ceiling, Oweh is certain to hear his name called early in the draft. Pro Football Focus lists him as the No. 2 edge rusher available this year, and he certainly helped his cause on Pro Day. "It's good to put it down and just let people know, these are really my num- bers," he said. "People wouldn't be- lieve it: It's an anomaly, it can't really happen. But I just did it. So it feels good to let people know who I am, show people who I really am. I could have done better in a few things, but it feels nice to get the recognition." A two-year letterman at Blair Acad- emy in New Jersey, Oweh has come a long way in a short period of time. With the next step in his journey fast ap- proaching, he is mindful of how quickly everything has come together for him. "I started out playing football my junior year of high school," Oweh said. "To be here in five years, it's God's plan, so it's been a blessing." ■ Oweh: 'My best days of football are ahead of me' OWEH |

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