Both a current Penn State player and a former Penn State player are first-round selections in a way-too-early 2023 NFL Mock Draft published by CBS sports.
The current Penn State player is cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who is months away from starting his redshirt junior season and has been a mainstay in Penn State’s secondary for two years, starting 21 of the 22 games the Penn State’s played in over the past two season.
Porter had his struggles in 2021, particularly with pass interference penalties, but played well enough to be selected third-team All-Big Ten by coaches and to the honorable mention team by media. CBS has him going 26th overall to the Seattle Seahawks, the third of three corners mocked in the first round.
Although we just finished the 2022 draft and are roughly a year out away the next one, seeing Porter or any Penn State player listed in the first round of a mock draft is encouraging for any Big Ten fan.
Another name listed in the mock, however, is more likely to make Penn State fans grimace than smile.
Former Penn State and current Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is projected to go fifth overall to the New York Giants. Levis played at Penn State from 2018-2020, appearing in 14 games and making two starts over his last two seasons.
Although Levis took a decent amount of snaps at quarterback— even when he wasn’t the starter— many fans disagreed with his use as a runner first and a passer second. Despite his arm strength, in his last two years at Penn State, Levis passed the ball 102 times and ran it 123 times.
Levis’ year starting at Kentucky probably didn’t do anything but intensify those criticisms. In a season where Penn State starter Sean Clifford took a decent amount of heat, Levis threw for 23 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and had a 66 percent completion rate, leading the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
The 2023 NFL draft is scheduled for April 27-29.
