UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Former Penn State wide and current Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler will be featured on the upcoming ESPN series: "Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL." The show will air on Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
"Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL" is a one-hour special featuring Hamler, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and Georgia offensive lineman Andrew Thomas. The feautre provides a behind-the-scenes looks at the soon-to-be NFL rookies through the NFL Scouting Combine and the 2020 NFL Draft.
Hamler becomes the sixth Nittany Lion to be featured on the "Hey Rookie" series in the last seven years, joining current Baltimore Raven Trace McSorley (2019), New York Giant Saquon Barkley (2018), former New York Jet Christian Hackenberg (2016), current Green Bay Packer Adrian Amos (2015) and former Baltimore Raven John Urschel (2014) as participants.
Hamler became the 25th Penn State wideout to be drafted all-time, when he was selected in the second round, 46th overall by Denver last Friday. He was the first Nittany Lion wideout selected since DaeSean Hamilton went to Denver Broncos in the fourth round in 2018. He is the highest Penn State receiver selected since 2003, when Bryant Johnson was picked 17th overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
The Pontiac, Mich., native finished tied for 13th all-time at Penn State with 13 touchdown receptions and 16th with 1,658 receiving yards. He ranks eighth all-time in program history in kick return yards (1,036) and 15th in kick return average (23.55) and became the 19th Nittany Lion to reach 3,000 career all-purpose yards in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis (12/28/19).
A 2019 second team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and media, Hamler hauled in a 93-yard touchdown pass from McSorley against Ohio State on Sept. 29, 2018 for the second-longest TD reception in program history. He also broke the Penn State freshman record in 2018 for all-purpose yards with 1,417, topping the previous mark of 1,237 set by Barkley in 2015.
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (2nd round, 38th overall to the Carolina Panthers), cornerback John Reid (4th round, 141st overall to the Houston Texans), linebacker Cam Brown (6th round, 183rd overall to the New York Giants) and defensive lineman Robert Windsor (6th round, 193rd overall to the Indianapolis Colts) were each joined Hamler as the 2020 Penn State NFL Draft picks.
A total of 361 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks tied for seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 44 draft picks since 2010. A total of 26 Nittany Lions have been drafted since head coach James Franklin's arrival to the program, including 17 in the last three years.
This marks the third-straight year that Penn State has had at least five draft picks. The last time the Nittany Lions had three consecutive years of five or more picks was 1991-93.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and reserving new season tickets for the 2020 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
