Which Penn State draftee made NFL.com's preseason All-Rookie team? The answer might surprise you: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for June 28 include a preseason NFL All-Rookie team that includes a former Nittany Lion.
For one final time in June, it’s time to look at the day’s top stories and headlines about head coach James Franklin’s team, past and present, from around the Internet.
Penn State tweets of the day
Logic might dictate that if Penn State was going to be represented on a list of first-year NFL players who could make an instant impact, the names you’d find could be Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson, or even Theo Johnson. There’s another Nittany Lion who has the attention of NFL.com draft expert Chad Reuter, however.
In projecting 14 instant-impact newcomers on defense/special teams, he went with sixth-round pick Daequan Hardy. While the Pittsburgh native was always confident in himself, some doubted that he’d be anything more than an undrafted free agent at the next level. The Buffalo Bills did not want to wait around to see if they could sign him during that process, however. They snapped him up with the No. 219 overall pick. And, there was a very specific reason why that should put him on the field right away for the AFC East franchise.
“Buffalo is replacing Deonte Harty, who signed with Baltimore as a free agent, with Daequan Hardy in the punt-return game,” Reuter writes. “[He] led the FBS with two punt returns for touchdowns in 2023, making the first man miss before turning on the jets. Hardy could also join running back Ty Johnson in taking over for Khalil Shakir on kickoff returns if the Bills want the third-year receiver to focus on offense. Hardy is a competitive nickel corner, as well, but might need time to work into the role with Taron Johnson manning that spot.”
Headlines of the day
Penn State letterman Michael Zordich talks Bill O’Brien, 2012 team legacy, more: McGonigal, PennLive
Inside Lasch: Recapping Penn State’s recent recruiting run and what we’re watching in the days ahead: Snyder, BWI
John Harrar to Lead Penn State Alumni at $1 Million Basketball Tournament: Wogenrich, SI
Penn State football among leaders for Athlon all-Big Ten picks: Bauer, BWI
EA Sports College Football 25 informs athletes if they are in, out of video game: Nakos, On3
Quote of the day
“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or wrong time, whatever you want to call it. We just happened to be there when it all happened. That bond exists with every Penn State football team that’s there. That’s how Penn State rolls. They recruit those kinds of guys. You go there, and that atmosphere creates that bond, that brotherhood. Every team has that. That’s what it’s all about. In that situation, we showed everyone what we had. It was an ugly situation. But we were able to showcase what we had, and what every team has.”
–PSU alum and letterman Michael Zordich to PennLive about the bond the Lions’ 2012 team had.
