Three Penn State players taken in recent first round mock draft

It’s a new week and that means we are one day closer to the 2022 NFL Draft. That also means we have started to see several mock drafts out there.

There was a recent mock draft that had Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson taken with the 31st pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. And we recently touched on the draft stock of safety Jaquan Brisker. But a third Nittany Lion could become a potential first-round talent as well.

This week, The Draft Network produced another mock draft that had not one, not two, but THREE Nittany Lions selected in the first round.

The first one off the board is Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith, who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers at number 12.

Smith is an explosive player that can work his way into a starting role. The Steelers recently extended Devin Bush, whom they traded up to draft at 10 in the 2019 draft. They certainly know how to develop their linebackers.

The Steelers had a top three defense last season and through week six, they are still a strong core. With the addition of Smith, the Steelers linebackers bring a combination of speed and explosiveness.

The next Nittany Lion taken was wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 22nd overall pick. As mentioned, Dotson may be a bit on the leaner side, but he still makes critics overlook that case with his combination of speed, athleticism and route running mechanics. It makes a ton of sense for the Saints to be selecting a wide receiver early in next year’s draft, and Dotson would have the potential to be the future of their receiver room.

The last Penn State player selected was safety Jaquan Brisker, who has also done nothing but rise his draft stock.

Brisker brings a lot of physicality and versatility to the table. The Chiefs defense has struggled quite a bit this season on the defensive side of the ball. Therefore, it would make sense for them to target their secondary early in this draft.

Tyrann Mathieu is nearing a contract year in 2022, but a combination of Mathieu and Brisker would have the potential to be a lethal secondary in the NFL. And Mathieu would be a good player for Brisker to learn from at the next level.

Brisker would a nice addition to the Chiefs’ struggling secondary. Despite his limited elite tape, Brisker still has the potential to have a productive NFL career.

This could be the first of many mock drafts that we see a Nittany Lion selected in the first round. Penn State has a lot of players who will most likely be entering the draft in 2022, and a good amount of them have done quite a bit to improve their stock, and we still have plenty of football left to go.

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