Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1378330
start the whole thing out slow and get him going, but we're going to have a lot of fun with him. Not only on first and second down, but especially when we get to third down – moving him around. We'll create our matchups from there and watch him go to work." After he was selected by the Ravens, Oweh announced that he wants to be known by his first name, Odafe (pro- nounced O-dah-FEH), rather than by his middle name, Jayson, which he used at Penn State. He told reporters that he had been using his middle name because it was easier for other people to pro- nounce. "But I don't care anymore," he said. "You're going to have to learn how to pronounce it." The next day, it was Freiermuth's turn in the spotlight. His second-round se- lection was announced by former Steel- ers and Penn State great Franco Harris, which Freiermuth called "a huge honor." He was the second tight end taken after Florida's Kyle Pitts went to Atlanta with the fourth overall pick, and the Big Ten Tight End of the Year went to a Steelers team that is eager to put his formidable blocking and receiving skills to good use. "I'm excited to work with him," Pitts- burgh tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts said. "I had an opportunity to work with him at his pro day. The energy he ex- udes – he's a serious but fun guy. He has positional flexibility. He's going to be kind of a throwback tight end because he can play the position, and he can do multiple things. His positional flexibility is going to give us the chance to do a lot of different things and sets with the guys who are already here. He can work from the backfield. We can flex him out. I like what he adds right now and what he's going to grow into in the future." The six new NFL entrants bring Penn State's contingent of draftees under James Franklin to 32. That includes 23 players in the past four drafts, the most in a four-year span since PSU had 27 players taken from 1993-96. It's the fourth year in a row in which Penn State has had five or more players chosen, and this year's selections were joined shortly after the draft by safety Lamont Wade, who signed a free agent deal with his hometown Steelers. All of those players will have an oppor- tunity in the coming months to show that they are prepared to compete at football's highest level as the NFL pre- pares for its first-ever 17-game regular season. Parsons, for one, sounds con- vinced that he's where he belongs in Dallas. "This is where I wanted to be," he said. "I wanted to play here." ■ TARIQ CASTRO-FIELDS Of all the play- ers who announced plans to return this year, Castro-Fields was probably the least surprising. He played hurt for much of the 2019 season, and last fall he missed six games with an undisclosed injury. Now, in addition to showcasing his coverage skills, he needs to show that he can stay healthy. Even taking into ac- count the setbacks he's had the past two seasons, Castro-Fields could have been a middle-round pick if he had come out this year, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said this spring. We'll never know if that was the case, but all the things that NFL scouts like about Castro-Fields, they'll like a whole lot more if he's able to play a full season this fall. JAHAN DOTSON Penn State has had three wideouts taken since 2017. Next April, Dotson will become the fourth. He would have been chosen this year if he had come out, but he said he wants to 8nish his college career with a season for the ages. "Every day I go to meetings, I write on top of my notebook, 'Be leg- endary,'" Dotson said earlier this spring. "That's one thing I want to preach this year, being legendary, basically leaving my mark on Penn State football, college football as a whole." If he does that – and there's no reason to think he won't – he'll have a chance to leave his mark on the NFL, too. JESSE LUKETA Luketa is an interesting prospect. He was miscast as a Will OLB last season, a year in which the Lions had to scramble to rearrange their line- backer corps following Micah Parsons' decision to opt out, but he 8gures to see action this fall in spots that will better showcase his skill set. James Franklin said in April that the sta9 wants to move the middle linebacker around in Penn State's defense in a way that will make the best use of his talents while also en- hancing his pro resume. That presum- ably means that the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Luketa will be getting some snaps at defensive end this season – or at least that the coaches will be taking a look at that option in preseason camp. MIKE MIRANDA There were 19 interior linemen taken in this year's dra: – eight centers and 11 guards. Miranda has started 18 games at guard the past three seasons, and he's most likely going to be Penn State's starting center this fall. That show of versatility is only going to help the 6-3, 310-pounder at the next level. P.J. MUSTIPHER Mustipher is getting set for his second starting season, and this one shows all the signs of being a great springboard to the NFL. He's up to 326 pounds a:er playing at a listed weight of 308 last season and he's set to see action at a more natural position, the one-technique defensive tackle spot. JOEY PORTER JR. I went back and forth on whether to put Porter on this list. He's only played in 12 games to date, but he's coming up on his third year in the pro- gram, so he'll be eligible to leave a:er the 2021 season. A nine-game starter last year, he's got a rangey 6-2, 195-pound frame that pro scouts are going to love, regardless of whether they view him as a cornerback or safety at the next level. Another All-Big Ten season – he won third-team honors from the media in 2020 as a 8rst-year starter – could be just the springboard Porter needs to reach the NFL, where his father spent 13 seasons and became a four-time Pro Bowler with the Steelers. BRANDON SMITH Like Luketa, Smith is a bit of an edge case. He's only played