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SPRING FOOTBALL WRAP | PENN STATE VS. HOUSTON Chosen by the Bengals, Devon Still leads Penn State's 2012 NFL Draft contingent THE CINCINNATI KID BY NATE BAUER NBAUER@BLUEWHITEONL INE.COM P atience isn't a problem for former Penn State All-America defensive tackle Devon Still. The 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was invited to New York's Radio City Music Hall as an ex- pected first-round NFL Draft pick. Though he was forced to wait one day longer than he had expected, Still cel- ebrated with friends and family as the Cincinnati Bengals chose him with the 53rd overall pick in the 2012 draft Fri- day night. "I wanted the opportunity to play in the NFL and I've got that opportunity now, so I'm going to make the most of it," Still said. Though he was a heralded prospect out of Delaware, an NFL future seemed far from certain after he lost back-to- back seasons to injury to begin his ca- NITTANY LIONS' DRAFT CLASS DRAFTEES PLAYER Devon Still POS DT Johnnie Troutman G Jack Crawford Nate Stupar FREE AGENTS Drew Astorino Quinn Barham Stephfon Green D'Anton Lynn Eric Latimore Derek Moye Andrew Szczerba DE OLB Saf. OT RB DB DE DeOn'tae Pannell OL Chaz Powell Nick Sukay WR CB Saf. TE TEAM Cincinnati Bengals San Diego Chargers Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders Cleveland Browns Detroit Lions Detroit Lions New York Jets Minnesota Vikings Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints Oakland Raiders Buffalo Bills Dallas Cowboys Photo courtesy of Devon Still reer at Penn State. But an impressive performance in the 2011 Outback Bowl against Florida, in which he finished with a career-high seven tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss, catapulted Still into an outstanding Stupar relishes chance to play for Raiders Last August, Nate Stupar wasn't thinking much about whether he had a future in the NFL. He simply wanted his starting job back. Though he had started throughout his junior year, Stu- par was displaced by Michael Mauti in preseason camp. Wanting more, he kept fighting. "When Mauti went In late September, Stupar was given another opportunity when Mauti went down with a season-ending ACL injury. He took advantage, racking up 80 tack- les, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss his senior season. "I think that's another reason why in front of me, I was obviously devastated, but I pushed my- self even harder and I think I made my- self a pretty dang good football play- er, just because of that," Stupar said. STUPAR 26 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 I had another opportunity to get drafted, because I just had a heck of a season when I was in there. I worked my butt off and became a bet- ter player," he said. "I definitely fought for it and gave it my all, and it definitely turned out the way I want- ed it to." The ultimate payoff was late in coming, but it arrived nonetheless, as the Oakland Raiders selected Stupar with the 230th overall pick in the NFL Draft. After testing well at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February, Stupar's draft stock rose, eventually putting him in position to become the seventh Penn State linebacker taken in the draft since 2007. For a while, though, it looked like Stu- par's dream scenario might not happen. The Miami Dolphins had courted him throughout, and told him Saturday af- ternoon that they would be drafting him with one of their two picks in the sev- enth round. But both picks came and went without a phone call. "They talked to me a lot, so I thought it was a lock because they said they senior season. Still finished with 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss last sea- loved me and I would do great and they had a spot for me but they just didn't take me," he said. "I looked at the rest of the teams with picks and I was like, 'None of these guys talked to me.' So I was just kind of upset. But, all of a sudden, Oakland came out of the blue and gave me a chance, and I'm not going to let them down." Fighting through adversity through- out his career at Penn State, Stupar said he plans to do the same at the next level. "A lot of athletes sometimes get things handed to them and sometimes don't have to fight for things. But in my situation at Penn State, I fought for every single play," he said. "I'm a per- son who doesn't give up easily and is going to fight like a dog. I get what I earn, and what I earn is what I de- serve." – N.B. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M RD 2nd 5th 5th 7th PICK 53rd 149th 158th 230th GIVING BACK Still talks to a youth football team near his Delaware home after being drafted.

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