Penn State’s first round picks of Big Ten era

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is widely expected to be drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. That would make him just the second Penn State player to be drafted in the first round since James Franklin took over the program as its head coach. With any luck, Jayson Oweh could join Parsons in the first round too.

Penn State has a history of developing NFL talent at all positions, but the school may not have quite as many first-round draft picks as you might have originally thought. Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has had 17 players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Three players highlighted the top 10 of the 1995 draft following Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season. In 2003, Penn State players were selected with four first-round picks by NFL teams.

A Penn State player has been selected with the top overall picks twice in the Big Ten era of the program. Running back Ki-Jana Carter was the first pick of the 1995 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, who traded up to make the move. And in 2003, Penn State’s massive defensive lineman Courtney Brown was the first pick of the draft by the Cleveland Browns. His teammate, linebacker LaVar Arrington, followed as the No. 2 pick of Washington.

Here is a look at each first-round draft pick out of Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 1995

Pick: No. 1

NFL Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK

Year: 1995

Pick: No. 5

NFL Team: Carolina Panthers

Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK

Year: 1995

Pick: No. 9

NFL Team: New York Jets

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006 Jason Parkhurst

Year: 1996

Pick: No. 23

NFL Team: Detroit Lions

Year: 1996

Pick: No. 30

NFL Team: Washington Redskins

Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK

Year: 1998

Pick: No. 5

NFL Team: Chicago Bears

Photo By USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2000

Pick: No. 1

NFL Team: Cleveland Browns

Matthew Emmons- USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2000

Pick: No. 2

NFL Team: Washington Redskins

AP Photo/Frank Franklin ll

Year: 2003

Pick: No. 12

NFL Team: St. Louis Rams

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2005 Geoff Burke

Year: 2003

Pick: No. 14

NFL Team: Chicago Bears

Rick Scuteri-US Presswire

Year: 2003

Pick: No. 17

NFL Team: Arizona Cardinals

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2003

Pick: No. 27

NFL Team: Kansas City Chiefs

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2006

Pick: No. 20

NFL Team: Kansas City Chiefs

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2007

Pick: No. 5

NFL Team: Arizona Cardinals

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2009

Pick: No. 11

NFL Team: Buffalo Bills

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2010

Pick: No. 28

NFL Team: Miami Dolphins

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2018

Pick: No. 2

NFL Team: New York Giants

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Year: 2021

Pick: No. 12

NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Year: 2021

Pick: 31

NFL Team: Baltimore Ravens