2022 NFL Draft: Here's where Penn State defender Jesse Luketa will start his pro career
Jesse Luketa is officially in the NFL.
The former Penn State defender was selected with the No. 256 overall pick in Round 7 of the Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
The moment caps a memorable run in blue and white that saw Luketa make many big plays and switch successfully from linebacker to defensive end during his final season in blue and white.
“Teams ask me where I feel most comfortable,” Luketa said at Penn State Pro Day. “I tell them, I play defense. My perception of how I look at things is, I want to be the most disruptive player on the football field.”
Tracing Luketa’s path to the pros
Luketa is one of many now former Nittany Lions who has found a home in the pros over the course of the three-day selection process. It’s taking place in Las Vegas, Nev., as all 32 teams look to fill out their rosters.
There is no question that Luketa was a fan favorite in State College. Originally from Canada, he came to Penn State as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2018. That was after he played at Mercyhurst Prep in Erie.
“I wasn’t ever the biggest, wasn’t the strongest, I was nowhere near considered to be the best at my position, but the one thing I knew I had was the intangible of grit, hard work,” Luketa recently told The Toronto Sun.
“I was hungry. You can’t measure heart. That’s the one thing I knew: No one was going to outwork me, no one was going to want it as badly. I stayed at it.”
Penn State started Luketa at the position it recruited him for: Middle linebacker. By the time all was said and done, he’d play there and at end. The defender played in 46 career games and started 17. He amassed 151 tackles (11.5 for loss) and was a two-time team captain and 2021 All-Big Ten pick. He saved his best for last, as the move upfront aided both his path to the pros and Penn State.
By the time this past winter rolled around, Luketa had an NFL Combine invite in hand. Teams were thrilled by the idea of being able to play him at multiple positions. That, undoubtedly, played a big role in where he ended up in the Draft.
Scouting report on Penn State defender Jesse Luketa
Here’s what Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in “The Beast”, his annual NFL Draft digest, about Luketa:
“Luketa doesn’t have a great feel as a pass rusher and lacks consistency in coverage, but he is a good-sized athlete and covers ground with his active pursuit motor. He projects as a regular on special teams coverages and a hybrid rush linebacker in sub.”
