Local colleges represented in NFL draft
The NFL Draft took place last week with Penn State, West Virginia and Pitt all being represented.
The highest local player selected was no surprise as the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick.
Just a hunch here that the Cleveland Browns should have taken Barkley with the first overall pick because Baker Mayfield would have been available at No. 4. But, the Browns are the Browns and Barkley, who may end up being a transcendent player, will be much better off with the Giants.
The next highest local player taken was Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 10th pick of the second round.
Also in the second round, Pitt’s first player was chosen when offensive tackle Brian O’Neill was selected with the 30th pick of the round by the Minnesota Vikings.
Business picked up for the local teams in the fourth round as five players were selected.
Penn State safety Troy Apke, a Pittsburgh native, was picked by the Washington Redskins with the ninth pick of the round. Apke shot up draft boards and mock drafts with his performance at the NFL Combine.
Four picks later, wide receiver Daesean Hamilton, Apke’s teammate at Penn State, was taken by the Denver Broncos.
Pitt safety Jordan Whitehead was selected four picks after Hamilton by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two picks later, West Virginia saw its only drafted player come off the board when the Los Angeles Chargers selected safety Kyzir White. Avonte Maddox, a cornerback from Pitt, was selected with the 25th pick of the round by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Penn State safety Marcus Allen was the lone local player taken in the fifth round when the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed him with the 11th pick.
Christian Campbell, a cornerback from Penn State, was the only local sixth round selection when he was picked eighth by the Arizona Cardinals and Campbell’s selection concluded the local contingent selected in the seven-round draft.
Overall, six Penn State players were drafted, three Pitt Panthers were taken and one West Virginia Mountaineer was chosen.
Local free agent signings
Although 10 local players were drafted, many more were signed to undrafted free agent (UFDA) deals by teams.
Oakland made the biggest local splash as it signed four players, Pitt offensive linemen Brandon Hodges and Alex Officer and two Penn State players, wide receiver Saeed Blacknall and linebacker Jason Cabinda.
The Houston Texans signed a pair of Pitt players, wide receiver Jester Weah and offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith.
The Carolina Panthers signed two local offensive linemen, Penn State’s Brendan Mahon and West Virginia’s Kyle Bosch.
Other Pitt players signed were wide receiver and special teams ace Quadree Henderson, who was picked up by the Steelers, tight end Matt Flanagan, by the Redskins and punter Ryan Winslow, by the Chicago Bears.
Five other Penn State players were signed as the New York Giants picked up cornerback Grant Haley and defensive lineman Tyler Chavis, the Minnesota Vikings signed defensive tackle Curtis Cothran, the Steelers signed defensive lineman Parker Cothren and Buffalo signed Penn State kicker Tyler Davis.
Also, West Virginia cornerback Elijah Battle signed with Arizona and wide receiver Ka’Raun White signed with Seattle.
Seven Pitt players signed rookie free agent deals, seven Penn State players were signed and three West Virginia players will continue their dreams of making an NFL roster.
Players getting bad advice?
Two Pitt underclassmen, Whitehead and Henderson, declared for the NFL Draft and are just two of the countless examples of players who may have been better off staying in school another year to get better and to also improve their draft stock.
Yes, there are always stories where players try to help their respective families financially by going out early, but far too many times these players listen to the wrong people.
I am not saying Whitehead and/or Henderson made the wrong choice, but polishing their respective games another year would have made Whitehead a higher draft pick than the fourth round and Henderson would have been picked instead of signing as a rookie free agent.
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