Aug. 12, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - Nearly 35 Penn State football alumni are populating the rosters of 20 National Football League teams during pre-season camps.
A total of 34 former Nittany Lions are in training camps. There were 33 Penn Staters on NFL rosters at the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, again placing Penn State among the top 10 schools in the nation in producing current NFL players.
The Chicago Bears have the services of a league-high three former Nittany Lions: defensive tackle Anthony Adams, 2006 All-Pro kicker Robbie Gould and guard Tyler Reed. Thirteen NFL squads have a pair of Penn Staters on their roster.
Five players from Penn State's 2007 squad are vying to make NFL squads as rookies: quarterback Anthony Morelli (Arizona), linebacker Dan Connor (Carolina), running back Austin Scott (Cleveland), running back Rodney Kinlaw (New York Jets) and cornerback Justin King (St. Louis).
On Monday, the Rams announced that King will miss the 2008 season after suffering a torn ligament in his left big toe in Saturday's exhibition opener with Tennessee. The injury will require season-ending surgery.
Quarterback Kerry Collins (Tennessee) leads the former Lions in NFL experience, entering his 14th season. Wide receiver Bobby Engram (Seattle) is in 13th season, but he will miss the next 6-8 weeks after suffering a cracked bone in his right shoulder in last Friday's exhibition game with Minnesota. Collins and Engram were first team All-Americans on Penn State's 12-0 Big Ten Championship squad in 1994.
More than 300 Nittany Lions have signed NFL contracts since Joe Paterno became head coach in 1966. The Hall of Fame coach has seen 234 of his players drafted by NFL squads.
Thirty-one Nittany Lions have been NFL first round draft choices since 1966, including tackle Levi Brown (Arizona), who was the No. 5 overall pick in 2007. A school record four Nittany Lions were selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Penn State has had at least one alumnus on a Super Bowl team in 38 of 42 title games, including Jay Alford and Kareem McKenzie with the Super Bowl XLII Champion New York Giants. Thirty former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 46 Super Bowl rings.
Former Nittany Lions in 2008 NFL training camps (pro season in parenthesis):
Arizona Cardinals - Levi Brown (2), Anthony Morelli (1) Buffalo Bills - Paul Posluszny (2), Bryan Scott (6)
Carolina Panthers - Dan Connor (1), Tim Shaw (2)
Chicago Bears - Anthony Adams (6), Robbie Gould (4), Tyler Reed (3) Cincinnati Bengals - Ethan Kilmer (3), Kenny Watson (8) Cleveland Browns - Joe Jurevicius (11), Austin Scott (1) Detroit Lions - Sean McHugh (4) Indianapolis Colts - Ed Johnson (2) Jacksonville Jaguars - Jimmy Kennedy (6), Isaac Smolko (3) Kansas City Chiefs - Tamba Hali (3), Larry Johnson (6) New York Giants - Jay Alford (2), Kareem McKenzie (8) New York Jets - Rodney Kinlaw (1) Oakland Raiders - Tony Stewart (8) Philadelphia Eagles - Tony Hunt (2)
Pittsburgh Steelers - Eddie Drummond (7), Scott Paxson (3)
St. Louis Rams - Justin King (1), David Macklin (9)
San Francisco 49ers - Bryant Johnson (6), Michael Robinson (3) Seattle Seahawks - Bobby Engram (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - John Gilmore (8) Tennessee Titans - Kerry Collins (14), Calvin Lowry (3)