Next Level Nittany Lions: Penn Staters Look to Make Impact in NFL
The preseason of the NFL largely exists to work off the rust teams may have after months off from competitive play. Another reason it exists, however, is for rookies and other young talent to develop and adjust to the much faster pace of the NFL.
With Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season approaching, here are three recent former Penn Staters looking to make an impact for their professional teams.
Austin Johnson, DT, Tennessee Titans
The first Nittany Lion to be drafted in 2016’s NFL Draft, Johnson was picked by the Tennessee Titans with the 43rd overall pick. Johnson will be joining an improving Titans defense which finished 12th in the league in yards allowed per game (340.4) after finishing 27th in the category a year prior (373.0).
One piece the Titans’ defense is missing is a run stopping nose-tackle. Luckily for Tennessee, Johnson finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten in tackles for loss, accumulating 15 in his final year at Happy Valley.
After selecting Johnson, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said he picked Johnson in part due to his versatility, citing his ability to play nose-tackle, five technique, and three technique.
Johnson sits second on the Titans’ depth chart after the cut of undrafted rookie Antwaun Woods. While he has not quite shown why he was taken in the second round thus far in the preseason, finishing with ten total tackles, Johnson’s versatility cannot be denied. Due to Johnson’s strength and mobility it would be reasonable to assume that the 22-year-old, second-round pick will eventually be starting for Tennessee either later this season or next year.
Christian Hackenberg, QB, New York Jets
At this point you probably know the story. Christian Hackenberg was the 15th ranked recruit in ESPN’s 2013 Top 300 recruiting rankings and started for the Nitty Lions his freshman year. He excelled in Bill O’Brien’s complex offense, throwing for almost 3,000 yards, tossing 20 touchdowns, and winning the 2013 Thompson–Randle El Freshman of the Year award.
After O’Brien left Penn State for the NFL, things went awry for Hackenberg. His numbers declined in 2014, and even more in 2015.
Once considered a first-round pick, the former Penn State starting quarterback was selected by the New York Jets with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
In Hackenberg’s first glimpse of NFL action he led the Jets down the field with ease in his first drive against the Giants. He showed the rocket arm he exhibited at Penn State, as well as the accuracy that eluded him at times after his freshman year.
However, later in the game Hackenberg missed a Giant’s defensive player dropping back into coverage, and the ball was intercepted. This led to the Giants being able to receive great field position with which they would take the lead and win the game.
The next week against the Eagles, Hackenberg threw a horrid pick-six inside his own red zone. He was wildly inaccurate, and did not resemble an NFL starting quarterback.
The Jets hope to develop Hackenberg week after week throughout the year before letting him take the reins of their franchise. If Hackenberg can limit his turnovers, and improve his mechanics and accuracy, Hackeberg could be the Jets’ starting quarterback next season. However, this is easier said than done.
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
September 15th, 2012: a sophomore receiver records 136 yards and catches three touchdown passes in a 34-7 Penn State rout over Navy. Immediately after this, Allen Robinson is a household name in Happy Valley.
October 12, 2013: Allen Robinson hauls in a 36-yard bomb, down a touchdown in the final seconds against Michigan. Penn State would eventually defeat 18th ranked Michigan in overtime, and Allen Robinson’s name was not only known in Happy Valley, but throughout the entire college football world.
After leaving Penn State, Robinson was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, the wideout started eight games, received 548 yards and caught two touchdowns.
In Robinson’s second season, he once again became a household name. The 2015 Pro-Bowler received 1,400 yards, and caught a touchdown pass in 10 games. Robinson went over 150 yards in a game three times last season and tied for the most touchdown catches in the league with 14.
Robinson is looking to improve upon his stellar 2015 campaign and join the elite tier of wide receivers in the NFL, if he is not there already. In his first preseason game of the 2016 season, the receiver and fellow 2014 draftee Blake Bortles made a talented Jets defense look amateurish. Robinson finished the game with three catches for 80 yards. He finished the preseason with nine receptions for 124 yards.
The combination of Bortles and Robinson, along with the other offensive weapons at the team’s disposal certainly has the Jaguars’ brass optimistic. With Robinson leading the way, Jacksonville eyes an AFC South title in 2016.
Charles Hart is a freshman majoring in print journalism. To contact him, email charliethart@gmail.com.
