Happy Friday everyone! I've actually been meaning to write this post all week, but I couldn't find the time. Give me a break, it's hard out here for a robot. Anyway, this will be a little bit different than my normal posts, but it's relatively short so hopefully you'll all give me a pass.
First, since we've been talking about watch lists so much recently, I figured I'd give you all some closure by posting this watch list roundup by the guys over at the Big Ten Blog on ESPN. They do a great job of explaining how pointless these watch lists/awards are, but why college football fans still enjoy them. As you can see, Penn State is well represented. Not bad for a team that the "experts" predicted wouldn't be competitive for "at least 10 years."
Next, let's get the recruiting news out of the way. The Nittany Lions picked up their 18th commitment for the 2015 class in 4-star WR Irvin Charles, and their 1st commitment for the 2016 class in 4-star RB Miles Sanders. Yet another NJ kid, Charles continues to demonstrate the coaching staff's focus on elite skill position players who can make a difference right away. As for Sanders, he has yet to play in his Junior season of high school ball, so let's save the excitement for next year. Still, a nice pick up, and since he's from Pittsburgh, it shows that James Franklin is serious about dominating the state.
Now, on to the real reason for this post. In a recent 247Sports article analyzing NFL draft success by college, I noticed the following: Penn State is tied for 36th nationally (7th in conference) for producing 1st round draft picks, 18th nationally (5th in conference) for number of overall draft picks, and tied for 6th nationally (1st in conference) for number of Pro Bowl selections. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that Penn Staters are wildly undervalued in the draft process. It begs the question, why are NFL teams so seemingly reluctant to take Penn State players in the early rounds of the draft (specifically in the 1st round) in spite of their proven track record of success at the next level? I honestly don't have an answer for you, but the numbers don't lie. Now, since 2011 you might be able to put some of the blame for this on the Sandusky scandal and it's lingering damage to Penn State's reputation (fair or not), but these statistics go back to 2005, six years before the scandal broke! One position exemplifies this trend like no other, and it's the position Penn State is most famous for: Linebacker. Since 2005 no Penn State linebacker has been drafted in the 1st round, yet we're tied for 4th nationally in total linebackers drafted and 2nd outright for most Pro Bowl linebackers. In fact, anyone who follows the pro game would instantly recognize the following players as some of the best linebackers in the NFL since 2000 - Brandon Short, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny, Tamba Hali, Dan Connor, Sean Lee, Josh Hull, Nathan Stupar, Navorro Bowman, Michael Mauti, and Gerald Hodges. That's a list that basically no other school can match.
Meanwhile, as Penn State appears to be undervalued in the NFL draft process, the usual suspects of the college football world (Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Texas, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, etc) seem to be overvalued. Although in most cases they were near the top of each list, the percentage of players actually panning out in the NFL is shockingly low. For example, USC had 14 first rounders, 69 total draft picks, and 9 Pro Bowlers, while Alabama had 16 first rounders, 53 total draft picks, and 7 Pro Bowlers, and Big Ten rival Ohio State had 14 first rounders, 52 total draft picks, but only 3 Pro Bowlers. Now, compare that to Penn State's measly 4 first rounders and 36 total draft picks that somehow produced 6 Pro Bowlers!
So what's my point? In most years, Penn State doesn't get the kind of talent that other big name programs do, yet they tend to keep up pretty well when it comes to producing NFL draft picks. But more importantly, the next time you see a star Penn State player get taken in the 4th round or later, don't be mad. Instead, take solace in the fact that Penn State can statistically back up the argument that their players are worth a heck of a lot more bang for the buck.
Keep it here on the blog all offseason for all the latest news and notes regarding all things Penn State football. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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