July 30, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A total of 41 Penn State football alumni are populating the training camp rosters of 25 National Football League teams. The Nittany Lions annually are among the top 15 programs nationally in producing current NFL players.
The Oakland Raiders feature a league-high four former Nittany Lions on its roster, including second-year starting guard Stefen Wisniewski and rookies Jack Crawford, Chaz Powell, and Nate Stupar, while two other NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets, have three Penn Staters on their rosters.
Several former Nittany Lions who played in the NFL in 2011 are free agents and also could land in training camps.
Twelve seniors from Penn State's 2011 squad are vying to make NFL squads as rookies, including draft choices Devon Still (Cincinnati Bengals), Johnnie Troutman (San Diego Chargers), Crawford, and Stupar and free agent signees Stephfon Green (Detroit Lions), Eric Latimore (Minnesota Vikings), D'Anton Lynn (New York Jets), Derek Moye (New Orleans Saints), DeOn'tae Pannell (New Orleans Saints), Powell, Nick Sukay (Buffalo Bills) and Andrew Szczerba (Dallas Cowboys). Troutman is on the Chargers' Physically Unable to Perform list after having pectoral surgery last spring.
Bryan Scott is the elder statesman of former Nittany Lions in the NFL, as the Buffalo Bills safety/outside linebacker is entering his 10th professional season. Originally a second round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons, Scott played with the New Orleans Saints for one year before spending the last five in Buffalo. Wide receiver Bryant Johnson is next in line, having re-signed with the Houston Texans for his ninth NFL season.
A total of 329 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL draft, including 36 in the first round. Thirty Penn State football student-athletes have been drafted since 2006, including 14 in the first three rounds.
Penn State has had at least one alumnus on a Super Bowl team in 41 of 46 title games, including this past season when offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy won Super Bowl XLVI with the New York Giants. Thirty-four former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 51 Super Bowl rings.
Seven former Nittany Lions will also be patrolling the sidelines as part of NFL coaching staffs in 2012, including Mike Munchak, the second-year head coach of the Tennessee Titans. The list of Penn Staters who are NFL assistant coaches includes Gary Brown (Cleveland Browns), Sam Gash (Detroit Lions), John McNulty (Arizona Cardinals), Darren Perry (Green Bay Packers), and Michael Zordich (Philadelphia Eagles). Former six-year Penn State assistant coach Jim Caldwell is in his first year as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
Former Nittany Lions in 2012 NFL training camps (pro season in parentheses):
Arizona Cardinals - Levi Brown (6)
Buffalo Bills - Bryan Scott (10), Nick Sukay (1)
Chicago Bears - Robbie Gould (8)
Cincinnati Bengals - Devon Still (1)
Cleveland Browns - Jordan Norwood (4), Scott Paxson (5)
Dallas Cowboys - Dan Connor (5), Sean Lee (3), Andrew Szczerba (1)
Detroit Lions - Stephfon Green (1)
Green Bay Packers - Andrew Quarless (3)
Houston Texans - Bryant Johnson (9)
Indianapolis Colts - A.Q. Shipley (4), Justin King (5)
Jacksonville Jaguars - Paul Posluszny (6)
Kansas City Chiefs - Tamba Hali (7)
Miami Dolphins - Cameron Wake (4), Jared Odrick (3)
Minnesota Vikings - Eric Latimore (1), Mickey Shuler (3)
New Orleans Saints - Derek Moye (1), DeOn'tae Pannell (1)
New York Jets - Dennis Landolt (2), D'Anton Lynn (1), Aaron Maybin (4)
Oakland Raiders - Jack Crawford (1), Chaz Powell (1), Nate Stupar (1), Stefen Wisniewski (2)
Philadelphia Eagles - Brett Brackett (2), Ollie Ogbu (2)
Pittsburgh Steelers - Jeremy Kapinos (5), Derrick Williams (4)
San Diego Chargers - Johnnie Troutman (1)
San Francisco 49ers - Navorro Bowman (3)
Seattle Seahawks - Deon Butler (4), Michael Robinson (7)
St. Louis Rams - Josh Hull (3)
Tennessee Titans - Tim Shaw (6)
Washington Redskins - Evan Royster (2)