With the Blue-White Game less than two weeks away, the Penn State football team’s practices have kicked into high gear. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at some pressing spring questions, feature another member of the Class of 2010 and take a look at several Nittany Lions hoping to hear their names called in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Let’s start with the NFL draft.
When the Blue-White Game kicks off on April 24, several former Nittany Lions will already know their fate. Unlike previous seasons, the NFL draft has moved from Saturday afternoon to Thursday evening in order to attract a prime time television audience.
By the time Saturday rolls around, there will be several Lions still on the board but a few will be gone by then.
Let’s take a closer look at the players who are going to hear their names called from April 22 to April 24.
Daryll Clark, QB
The skinny: Despite having a couple of successful seasons at Penn State and some impressive numbers, Clark has not helped himself since the season concluded. At Penn State’s pro day, he recorded a 4.72 in the 40-yard dash. However, scouts believe he will have a hard time adjusting to the timing of the professional game.
Round: Free Agent.
Best guess: Clark will probably be brought into an NFL camp not necessarily to compete, but just to be a body. With the retirement of Kurt Warner, the Arizona Cardinals appear to be the perfect fit.
Josh Hull, LB
The skinny: The former walk on from Penns Valley High School really came into his own during the 2009 season and earned an invite to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Had a solid time in the 40 (4.72). Could be a late-round selection, but the deck is stacked against him because this draft is loaded with linebackers.
Round: Free agent.
Best guess: Hull has met with several teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. However, it appears that the Indianapolis Colts are looking for depth at linebacker.
Dennis Landolt, OL
The skinny: Landolt matured nicely during his career at Penn State. He got some attention when he was selected as an honorable mention all-Big Ten. At 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, Landolt is fighting an uphill battle to make an NFL roster. However, his resume will certainly land him in a camp somewhere.
Round: Free agent.
Best guess: There are several teams looking for bodies along the offensive line. The Washington Redskins have a new investment to protect in Donovan McNabb, so look for Landolt to wind up at Redskins’ camp.
A.J. Wallace, CB
The skinny: Wallace never quite lived up to his potential in Happy Vallley and will probably find himself on the outside looking in on draft day. Although he’s a solid prospect, he’s had some injuries and off-the-field issues that have hurt him in the eyes of NFL scouts.
Round: Free agent.
Best guess: Like Landolt, Wallace will probably get an invite to an NFL camp. While there are several teams in need of help at corner, the San Diego Chargers appear to be the best fit for Wallace.
Spring Questions: Part IV
Q: Who fills out the defensive line?
A: At least initially, there’s no replacing Jared Odrick at tackle. You don’t just plug in another All-America caliber player. Larry Johnson also has to find a replacement for Jerome Hayes as a standup end.
Ollie Ogbu is back as a starter at tackle. Devon Still and Jordan Hill and, to a lesser extent, Tom McEowen, saw spot duty there as well. Despite being sidetracked by injuries, coaches have continued to talk about Still’s promise.
If Brandon Ware is successful in dropping enough weight to please Paterno, he could force his way into the tackle rotation, as well.
Jack Crawford figures to reclaim his starting end position. Eric Latimore, Sean Stanley and Kevion Latham are the leading candidates to nail down the other end position.
Another question is out of freshmen Evan Hailes, Da’Quan Jones and Kyle Baublitz, could one of them force their way into the rotation, too?
Q: What will the secondary look like?
A: Cornerbacks A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons were lost to graduation. However, D’Anton Lynn returns at the other corner spot and Stephon Morris saw a lot of time at cornerback in nickel schemes.
At safety, starters Drew Astorino and Nick Sukay return, as does backup Andrew Dailey.
While four starters should emerge from among those six names, depth is another matter altogether.
One intriguing question is whether Lynn remains a corner or will he be shifted to one of the safety positions?
A knot of younger players figures to battle for slots on the depth chart: Derrick Thomas, Mike Wallace, Stephen Obeng-Agyapong and Malcolm Willis.
Class of 2010: Levi Norwood
Levi Norwood always wanted to be a Nittany Lion, so it wasn’t hard to pull the trigger.
After all, Levi is the son of former Penn State assistant coach Brian Norwood and brother of former Nittany Lion wideout Jordan Norwood. Blue and white runs through his blood.
After landing an offer in June, Norwood needed just a few weeks to make a decision. He verballed to the Nittany Lions while in attendance at Penn State’s senior only camp in June of 2009.
According to Norwood, his decision didn’t come as much of a shock to Penn State’s coaching staff.
“They were excited. I don’t think they were very surprised, though,” he said. “I think they knew that I wanted to go there. They knew I was kind of leaning towards them. It’s cool, definitely,” Norwood said. “(Jordan) had a great career there and I’m excited to follow that.”
During his senior prep season, Norwood finished with 591 yards and four touchdowns on 42 receptions. Additionally, he put together 184 return yards on 12 punt returns, including a touchdown.
For his efforts, Norwood was named a first team all-district 16-4A selection.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.