Penn State football launches billboard campaign to showcase NFL Draft success
If you find yourself cruising down the highway in one of four locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland, you might come across a nice reminder of Penn State’s NFL Draft success. Billboards featuring 13 Nittany Lions who were either selected in this year’s NFL Draft or signed as undrafted free agents have been arranged under the “Made In Happy Valley” tagline at the following four locations:
- US 322-422 Chambers Hill Road in Harrisburg
- I-376 at exit 78 in Pittsburgh
- I-95 east of Broad Street in Philly
- I-895 at Boston Street in Baltimore
Here’s what the billboards look like:
The Nittany Lions produced a first-round pick for the second consecutive season as Jahan Dotson went 16th overall to the Washington Commanders.
Dotson is the fourth Penn State player selected in the first round over the last five years, joining Odafe Oweh, Micah Parsons and Saquon Barkley.
Dotson was back on campus this weekend to attend his graduation.
“I was actually ready to skip the graduation and be out here at practice,” Dotson told reporters. “But [Ron Rivera] said that’s like a once in a million type of thing. He was all for me going, so honestly, I hadn’t even thought about skipping practice until he brought that up.
“Many people in my family haven’t achieved this goal, so it’s pretty big in my family to achieve this goal of graduating college.”
More on Penn State’s draft, new billboard
Dotson is flanked on the billboard by Jaquan Brisker and Arnold Ebiketie, who both went in the second round of this year’s draft.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Brisker told NBC Chicago after he was drafted by the Bears. “A new staff. A lot of new people and a lot of new faces. I think everybody wants to change this around, and that’s what they brought me here to (do) to change it around — I feel like me coming in with the new staff, a lot of new players, a lot of new people, it fits right.”
It’s notable that Penn State elected to place an additional billboard in Baltimore, considering how heavily it relies on recruits from Maryland.
On last season’s roster, there were 18 players who played their high school football in Maryland.
In the 2022 class, the Nittany Lions added five-star edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton. He’s originally from Delaware, but played his high school football at McDonogh school in Maryland.
“He is 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, physical against the run. He can rush the passer,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “So he’s not like an undersized defensive end that you’re going to have to develop over time. He’s got the ability to come in and compete from day one, and I think that’s going to be his mentality and approach. He’s also a very mature young man. You go to that high school, everybody is raving about him.”
He’s joined by DeMatha Catholic safety KJ Winston. The Nittany Lions also added Maryland transfer Demeioun Robinson this offseason– the top player in the state of Maryland in the Class of 2021.
