Aaron Rodgers has moved on, and Sean Clifford is moving in after the Green Bay Packers drafted the former Penn State quarterback in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Clifford was the 149th player chosen overall.
Clifford was Penn State’s starting quarterback for the past four seasons, five if you count the four games in which he played in 2018. He latched onto to the job so securely that Will Levis, who was a second-round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans on Friday night, transferred to Kentucky.
As a sophomore in 2019, Clifford passed for 2,654 yards and 23 TDs. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he threw for 1,890 yards and 16 touchdowns in only nine games.
Over the past two seasons, he was at his most productive. He completed 60.6% of his passes in 2021, totaling 3,106 yards and 21 touchdowns. Last season, his completion percentage improved to 63.6% while he threw for 2,543 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Clifford enters a competitive situation in Green Bay, where Jordan Love has been Rodgers’ understudy for the past three seasons. Love is highly regarded by the Packers, who drafted him in the first round in 2020.
Clifford, the 11th quarterback drafted this year, is 3 1/2 months older than Love.
“Sean put together a lot of great moments throughout his career at Penn State, and I am thrilled he will get the chance to do more of the same at the next level with the Green Bay Packers,” PSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “This is a guy who has fought through adversity time and time again, but with the toughness and leadership he brought to our team, he always found a way to overcome it.
“Sean is dedicated and works his tail off all the time at practice, and that’s why he improved as a quarterback throughout his time here. I am looking forward to seeing where Sean’s professional career takes him.”
