For a pair of Penn State football players, the dream came true this weekend.
Two Nittany Lions were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft, which was held over the weekend at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at the Lions who were selected. We’ll also have another look at a future Lion and have our weekly non-rev roundup.
Let’s start with the big news, the draft.
Dan Connor selected in the third round by the Carolina Panthers.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Two For The Show
Both Penn State players slipped into the second day of the draft. When it was all said and done, linebacker Dan Connor was selected in the third round by the Carolina Panthers while cornerback Justin King was taken in the fourth round by the St. Louis Rams.
A couple of thoughts here. Connor is better than a third round pick, while King is not worthy of a fourth round selection.
Hear me out on this.
While Connor didn’t participate in the annual NFL combine and that probably hurt his draft status. I believed that he was a first- or second-round selection, but it didn’t turn out that way. King, on the other hand, had a great workout at the combine, posting a 4.31 40-yard dash time. His great workout apparently made NFL scouts forget how he had been burned against Buffalo and Indiana. Remember the game against the Hoosiers? James Hardy ate him for lunch.
In any event, Connor slipped out of the first and second rounds to land with a team stacked with linebackers. In Carolina, Connor will have to fight his way into the starting lineup or play on special teams.
Still, it says here that the Panthers got a steal. Connor may not start right away, but he will force his way into the lineup. He will be reunited with former Penn State teammate Tim Shaw, so that should make the transition to the NFL a bit easier.
Connor will be a solid NFL player, write it down.
As for King, well, that might be another story. He seem surprised that he didn’t go higher over the weekend.
“I still have no idea why that didn’t happen,” King told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I talked to (NFL) coaches, they told me I’d go early.
GMs, they told me they saw me going anywhere from mid- to late first round to late second round at the latest. These are NFL GMs telling me this. Then, the draft happens, and that’s not what happens. But you’ve got to stay strong and try to continue to push forward.”
Now I am not an NFL scout or GM, but I can tell you why King slipped as far as he did.
1. He didn’t play well last season. 2. He’s afraid of contact. 3.
Character issues.
If you look at King’s career at Penn State, you will see that he regressed. During his freshman season, when he played on both sides of the ball, he was very good. During his sophomore campaign, he moved solely to defense and was just good. In his junior season, he was average at best.
He had just two picks last season. Two picks? Are you kidding me? From a shutdown corner? He won’t make it in the NFL. Can you imagine King lining up across from players like Randy Moss, Chad Johnson or Terrell Owens? He will get eaten for lunch.
He doesn’t like to tackle and shies away from contact. Add to the mix the fact that King was one of the first on the scene when all heck broke loose at Meridian II last spring, and you’ve got some serious character issues. He’s probably more suited to be a Cincinnati Bengal.
As a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, I was keeping my fingers crossed every time their number came up. “DON’T TAKE KING,” I screamed at my television. My enduring memory of King will be of him sitting at PSU’s media day, shoes off, mumbling answers to questions from reporters. He showed little respect that day, and in this writer’s opinion, he was one of the cancers in the locker room, one of the problems in the core of the football program.
Oh well, he’s Scott Linehan’s problem now. Nice pick, coach.
Mark Wedderburn could be a force for the Nittany Lions in years to come.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Future Lion: Mark Wedderburn
Despite having Penn State as his favorite throughout the recruiting process, Wedderburn chose to wait until after his senior season to make his decision. He committed to the Nittany Lions on Nov. 25, following in his older brother Floyd’s footsteps. Floyd was an offensive lineman for Joe Paterno.
The 6-foot-6, 243-pound Wedderburn earned All-Philly Catholic League honorable mention honors as a senior, when he finished second on his team in receiving, hauling in 26 passes for 386 yards and a touchdown.
He helped lead the Lions to a 6-6 record before bowing out to St.
Joseph’s Prep in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals. He was also an honorable mention Class AAAA all-state selection by the Pennsylvania Football News.
He was also recently selected to represent Pennsylvania in the annual Big 33 Classic, which will be held on June 14 at HersheyPark Stadium.
Wedderburn will begin his career as a tight end, although there has been talk of him moving outside to receiver. He said there are currently no plans for him to put on weight and follow his brother’s footsteps in the trenches. He was recruited by Ron Vanderlinden and took his official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Dec. 7.
Non-rev roundup: Men’s Tennis
When Indiana came out and dominated in doubles action, it appeared that the Nittany Lion men’s tennis team might still be in recovery mode after a tough 6-1 loss to Ohio State the day prior. The Lions, however, regrouped and won five of the six singles matches to upset the No. 41 Hoosiers, 5-2, on April 20.
The victory gave No. 42 Penn State a winning record in Big Ten play with a 6-4 mark.
“The guys did an outstanding job rallying and playing hard for each other,” said second-year head coach Todd Doebler. “After losing the doubles point, the guys came out with tremendous energy. We jumped out to a lead in five of the six singles matches and we did a good job of riding that momentum.”
It was a nice turnaround for the Nittany Lions after losing two of the three doubles matches convincingly. Penn State’s No. 14 duo of Michael James and junior Brendan Lynch struggled to find a rhythm and fell to their unranked opponents, 8-2. The Hoosiers recorded another 8-2 win over Adam Slagter and Chris Sherman at the No. 2 slot.
Although James and Lynch dropped a disappointing doubles match, they both got their redemption in singles action. James rebounded to take a convincing 6-1, 6-2 decision against Thomas Richter in the No. 1 bout. The Lion senior, who is ranked 63rd in the nation, improved to
26-13 this season with the victory. Lynch, meanwhile, won his match, 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot and improved his season singles record to a team-best 27-9.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.